In Today's Scranton Times, the Editorial Board lays out a firm position why the monies the State receives from the landfill should not be considered a benefit. We couldn't agree more.

Excerpt:

The forum produced some valuable insight about the harm/benefit analysis of the dump expansion that will be conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection in the course of considering a permit.

Each time a landfill seeks a new permit or an expansion permit, it includes as a benefit the amount of money that it will pay to its local government and the state government.

That money, even when it amounts to millions of dollars, should not be considered a benefit in the state’s analysis. It is not some windfall magically bestowed upon the local or state government by beneficent dump operator. Rather, it is state-mandated recompense for the extraordinary burden that the dump imposes on the local community. And the taxes and fees paid the state are nothing more than the cost of doing business.