Analysis: Wansacz victim of himself

Our elected officials can no longer sit on the sidelines. It is time to take a strong stand against the expansion of Keystone Sanitary Landfill.

Excerpt:
Mrs. McNulty downplayed the impact of Mr. Wansacz’s refusal to take a firm position on the Keystone Sanitary Landfill expansion, but county Democratic chairman Chris Patrick, Mr. Volpe and even Mr. Wansacz were certain of its importance.

They all pointed to landfill opponent Vince Amico emerging as the top vote-getter in the Democratic council race in Dunmore.

“I think the landfill was a huge issue,” Mr. Patrick said.

Anti Expansion Foe Tops Dunmore Council Primary

Congratulations to FOL core member, Vince Amico, for being the top vote getter in the Dunmore Council primary election!

It was a good night for those running for elected office who oppose the expansion of the Keystone Sanitary Landfill. In addition to Vince, other anti-expansion proponents won places on the November ballot for Dunmore School Board (Francis X. Kranick) and on the Democratic ticket for Lackawanna County Commissioner (Jerry Notarianni and Patrick O'Malley).

There is no doubt that our commitment and vision is resonating throughout the region. And, the message is clear: Don't Dump Our Future!

Pat Clark Op Ed: 5/17/2015 "Update inadquate landfill regulations"

Excerpts: Click on the link to read the full Op-Ed.

“The garbage has to go somewhere,” is a common argument against Friends of Lackawanna’s mission to stop Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s expansion. We agree, garbage does have to go somewhere. But for too long, and too often, it ends up in our backyard.

However, opposing the dump’s expansion is not a not-in-my-backyard stance. In fact, we have been quite generous with our backyard, sharing it with much of the Mid-Atlantic for decades.

As background, the guiding statute the DEP looks to is from 1980. Although there have been amendments, both the statute and the regulations remain wholly insufficient. Landfill expansions or permits do not mandate any related health studies. They do not require continuous water or air monitoring. They do not contemplate fracking waste. They do not put a limit on the amount of trash any one area can take. They do not prevent a landfill from growing, literally, forever. And worst of all, they do not encourage change.

It turns out that debating “where should the garbage go?” is the wrong question. Our focus should be on, “What can we do to reduce the amount of garbage going into landfills?”

There is no better place than Pennsylvania to be this catalyst for change. Why? We import more trash than any other state in the country, by far. Our neighborhood dump backs this up — more than 60 percent of the waste Keystone accepts comes from out of state. If we stop expansions, thus limiting the available supply of landfill space, it will force us to rethink waste management policy.

We need forward-looking and modern regulations. Unfortunately, the quest for forced change is much less likely if massive expansions, such as Keystone’s, are approved. We can start by rejecting this expansion and immediately placing a moratorium on all landfill expansion and development within the state. During that time, we can put cutting-edge waste management regulations in place. Pennsylvania can lead by example.

Read FOL's Zoning Board Appeal Here

Contrary to how complicated this matter may seem, our zoning matter in Dunmore is actually simple. We are arguing that (a) a landfill is a structure and (b) structures have height restrictions.

Keystone should be forced to follow the zoning regulations just like everyone else.  Since we are seeking to keep our mission transparent, if you would like to read the appeal document we filed with the Dunmore Zoning Board, you can do so below.

5/15/2015: Landfill Claims Impact Minimal

Here is another example of perspective: a cancerous tumor on someone's face that grows slowly over a course of years is still an ugly, festering, life-sucking tumor when it's done growing. And an untreated tumor is like KSL under the current regulations--it could keep growing until it spreads everywhere. The comments by KSL's engineer at the Zoning Hearing Board meeting last night were cold and dismissive of the future generations that would have to deal with the aftermath of the expansion if it happened.

The people are being very clear that they don't want to live next to this tumor on our landscape. It was supposed to close. The last permit was for 10 years, but the goal post for the end of this landfill keeps moving on the community and we are saying ENOUGH. No one could have predicted the cancer would spread this fast and be able to keep growing. This is malpractice on the part of the DEP.

Also, if just about everyone in a 3 mile radius can ALREADY see the landfill, it is no wonder the percentages of new people who will be able to see it as it grows--and peeks over a treeline or structure--is around 3%. Plus, we all know that the landfill is on the side of our valley and can be seen well beyond an arbitrary 3 mile radius.

Friends of Lackawanna's lawyers will have a chance to cross-examine the testimony mentioned in today's article at the next meeting on June 11 at 6pm at the Dunmore Borough Building.

5/14/2015 Editorial: No obstacle to opposing dump growth

If the law precludes Dunmore Borough Council from opposing the expansion of the massive Keystone Sanitary Landfill, then the law should be the first thing to be thrown into the expanded dump. The expansion, which would bring another 100 million tons-plus of mostly out-of-state garbage to the dump, would be bad for the borough on many scores. The expansion would increase the dump’s active disposal area by 100 acres, to 435 acres, and increase its height to an astounding 475 feet.
Yet, the borough council has been teetering on the fence about the project for nearly a year. First, it sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection supporting the expansion, then asked the DEP to disregard the letter and reserved the right to oppose the project. It can’t quite bring itself to formally oppose the expansion, after negotiating a contract that would increase the borough’s long-term revenue from the dump.
Remarkably, some council members seem concerned that a letter in opposition to the expansion could expose the borough to legal liability, even though members raised no such issue before firing off a letter supporting the dump.
One councilman noted that the council’s 2009 decision against a zoning change to accommodate the location of a methadone clinic in the borough resulted in litigation. But that was a zoning dispute rather than council’s statement of support or opposition. In the landfill case, the DEP will make the decision on an expansion, receiving comment from interested parties as part of the process.
The borough council is an important interested party. There is nothing other than members’ reticence precluding it from formally stating opposition to the landfill. Council should fire off the appropriate letter.

Editorial 5/12/2015: Offense as best form of defense

 Opponents of the massive garbage dump expansion in Dunmore and Throop opened a second front in the battle last week.

In a case that likely will provide the public with substantially greater insight into the operation of the Keystone Sanitary Landfill, Friends of Lackawanna asked the state Environmental Hearing Board to withdraw the dump’s current operating permit, which otherwise would not expire until 2025.

The appeal is separate from the group’s opposition to Keystone’s proposed massive expansion, which would add more than 100 million tons of garbage to the dump and increase its height by more than 200 feet over four decades. But if opponents can make a valid case about alleged shortcomings of the current operation, that would be a powerful weapon against the proposed expansion.

Keystone has said that, despite the decade remaining on its permit, it will be able to operate at its current capacity only for another five years or so because of its need to move several million tons of garbage from older parts of the site to areas that include state-of-the-art liners and wastewater treatment.

In its appeal to the quasi-judicial state Environmental Hearing Board, the environmental group contends that the dump operation is deficient in multiple important ways, including several underground fires or chemical reactions that drove up heat at the site, possible migration of harmful gases to residential areas and that water sampling points to damaged liners.

The Environmental Hearing Board, at least, is likely to take testimony from the environmental group’s expert or experts. Recently, the Dunmore Zoning Board infamously declined to acknowledge the group’s widely acknowledged expert as an expert. Either party may appeal the EHB’s findings to Commonwealth Court.

Regardless of the outcome, the case is a worthy effort that inherently will increase public scrutiny of the landfill and its accountability, while bolstering an already strong case against expansion.

5/12/2015: Throop Prepares for Future

Borough officials plan to squirrel away more cash into a savings account for the day Keystone Sanitary Landfill, the borough’s largest single revenue source, turns off the tap.

Throop had contributed 10 percent of quarterly host payments from the landfill into a “sunny day fund.”

During its regular meeting Monday night, Throop Borough Council unanimously agreed to increase the quarterly contribution to 30 percent.

Throop receives about $4 million each year as part of its host agreement with Keystone, which has enabled residents to enjoy the second-lowest municipal property tax rate in the county.

But council members agree that, whether or not a controversial landfill expansion proposal gets the green light, sooner or later, the landfill will stop paying.

“It’s probably wise to know that there is a point in time that it is going to close and to be better-prepared for that,” council Vice President Anthony Gangemi said.

5/12/2015: Dunmore council fears legal backlash to declaring landfill position

Borough council agreed Monday to research potential legal consequences before formally opposing Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s controversial expansion plan.

In a closed-door executive session before Monday’s meeting, council members agreed to research whether sending DEP the letter could expose the borough to any legal backlash, Mr. Burke said.

As an example, Councilman Thomas Hallinan, after the meeting, recalled borough lawmakers voting in 2009 against changing Dunmore’s zoning rules to allow a methadone clinic to open.

“Everybody jumped on board,” Mr. Hallinan said. “We got sued and lost. ... Let’s just wait until all the facts come in. It’s not a decision that is going to be made tomorrow. ... I think it’s the prudent thing to do for the taxpayers to wait.”

5/10/2015: Small Mouth Bass Caught in PA River Has Cancerous Mouth Tumor

A smallmouth bass with a massive cancerous tumor, along with other fish with sores and lesions, sparks pollution fears in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River. The Lackawanna River feeds the Susquehanna. Could the leachate tainted with fracking drill waste from the Keystone Sanitary Landfill that has gone untreated into the Lackawanna River be contributing to this disturbing issue? The Susquehanna then feeds the Chesapeake Bay Watershed--a drinking source for millions of people.

Guest Editorial 5/10/2015: Citizens For A Healthy Jessup

Thanks to Janine Pavalone of Citizens for a Healthy Jessup for her kind words about Friends of Lackawanna in her Op-Ed in the Sunday Times-Tribune today:

"Credit goes to Friends of Lackawanna for inspiring and leading the way for our organization, Citizens for a Healthy Jessup. Friends of Lackawanna showed the people of Northeast Pennsylvania that it is not only appropriate to stand up, but to take issue with anyone questioning why citizens should oppose detrimental industry."

As she so eloquently put it:

"We are not a town [or region, if we may add] that should beg for scraps or show desperation. Our self-esteem is evident in the people who say we are worth more and wish to leave a legacy that shows pride."

We also thank her for this strong reminder:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
-Cultural Anthropologist, Margaret Mead

Thank you to Janine and all the people of this region who have stood up, taken pride in our area and are letting our voices be heard on these important issues! Don't dump our future!

5/10/2015: Which Candidates Oppose The Expansion?

As a non-profit 501(c)(3), Friends of Lackawanna cannot endorse political candidates as an organization. Here is an article from today's Times-Tribune that outlines the position of each candidate for Lackawanna County commissioner regarding one of our region's most important issues.

5/8/2015: Friends of Lackawanna Opens New Arena in Landfill Fight

Citing underground fires, groundwater contamination and damage to liner systems, Friends of Lackawanna appealed Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s current operating permit on Thursday.

The anti-landfill civic group’s appeal with the state Environmental Hearing Board challenges the landfill’s ongoing operations. In early April, the Department of Environmental Protection gave the landfill permission to operate until 2025.

That approval was separate from the landfill’s proposal to design a pile large enough for 50 years’ worth of waste. The DEP is still reviewing that application.

Thursday’s appeal opens a new arena in the group’s struggle. It has opposed the expansion since shortly after its filing and is now arguing a zoning case before Dunmore’s zoning hearing board.

Extensive research into the landfill’s operations and talks with experts indicate the landfill’s risk to the public will not begin with the expansion, core member Pat Clark said.

“The more you keep digging, the more you keep peeling back, the more you reveal there are problems already present now,” he said.

Since 2009, the landfill has experienced three underground “thermal events,” referring either to fire or heat-producing chemical reactions, the 17-page filing states.

Meanwhile, water sampled from underground monitoring wells is growing increasingly similar to shale gas drilling wastewater and landfill leachate, indicating leaks in the underground liner system.

It mentions two Times-Tribune investigations regarding leachate flowing through city sewers and harmful gases found below Dunmore linked to the landfill.

5/5/2015: Next Landfill Zoning Hearing Scheduled

The next hearing on the Friends of Lackawanna zoning challenge against Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s proposed expansion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the borough building, code enforcement officer Joseph Lorince said Tuesday.

The anti-expansion grassroots group last week rested its case, arguing that the plan would violate a height restriction in Dunmore’s zoning ordinance, among other points. Keystone’s legal team will make its case that the nearly half-century expansion proposal is consistent with the ordinance at the next zoning board’s next hearing.

5/2/2015: Landfill: Leachate entered sewers during private management

Raw, untreated landfill leachate has entered the Scranton Sewer Authority system two times, Keystone Sanitary Landfill consultant Albert Magnotta admitted Thursday.

The discharges came in 1999 and 2003, Mr. Magnotta said, referring to records obtained from the landfill. At that time, the sewer authority was under private management by American Water.

The issue of treated versus untreated wastewater is entirely separate from which sewer line the landfill chooses to use. A dedicated line, which landfill and sewer authority officials say accepts wastewater most of the time, runs through upper Drinker Street before moving onto Sport Hill, Bunker Hill and Scranton’s Hill Section.

An alternate line exists that runs through Dunmore Cemetery, then on through neighborhoods of Green Ridge.

The landfill’s discharge permit with the sewer authority refers only to a bypass of the pre-treatment plant, not to a bypass of the dedicated line, said Mr. Barrett. The state Department of Environmental Protection agrees with that interpretation. 

5/1/2015: Dickson City down on dump expansion

 Dickson City Borough Council has taken a strong stance against the proposed expansion of Keystone Sanitary Landfill, voting in unanimous opposition and lobbying elected officials at all levels.

Borough Council President Barbara Mecca sent a strident letter opposing the expansion on behalf of council to state and federal elected officials.

“Allowing for the expansion of the Keystone landfill could pose significant environmental and health-related risks for the surrounding communities and the Lackawanna River,” the page-and-a-half letter reads. “We strongly oppose this proposed expansion. I strongly urge you again to oppose this request based on environmental, health and quality of life concerns.”

The letter was sent to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Gov. Tom Wolf, state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, state Rep. Sid Kavulich, D-114, Taylor, and Lackawanna County commissioners.

Earlier in the year, the council heard a presentation from Friends of Lackawanna, a group against the landfill expansion.

Friends of Lackawanna official Michele Dempsey said the group is gratified to have Dickson City Borough Council join the Scranton City Council and the Mid Valley School Board by taking a strong public stance against the landfill expansion.

“We left the council confident they would consider the points we raised,” she said. “We are thrilled another community has joined to oppose the expansion and protect our health, safety, property values and environment.”

Dickson City Council Member Jeffrey Kovaleski had toured the landfill with officials from the Mid Valley School District and shared what he learned with council.

“We owe it to our constituents to show how we feel about important issues like this,” he said, noting that the district’s schools are often subject to odors from the landfill. “I’m looking at this as something we are doing for those kids, as well. It’s not political, it’s for the future.”

Albert Magnotta, a Keystone landfill consultant, was surprised by the letter, saying that Dickson City officials, too, were given a tour of the landfill in early spring.

“None of these issues were raised or we would have addressed their concerns,” Mr. Magnotta said. “I thought they were satisfied with our operation.”

Dickson City, like many municipalities in the region, tips its municipal trash at Keystone.

“If for whatever reasons, we could no longer take our municipal waste to Keystone, we’d have an added expense of taking it someplace farther away,” said Dickson City Borough Manager Cesare “Chez” Forconi. “That was a risk council was willing to take.”

5/1/2015: Congressman Cartwright Opposes Landfill Expansion Plan

We are thrilled that Congressman Cartwright has expressed opposition to the Keystone Sanitary Landfill expansion, though we believe that Keystone Sanitary Landfill's environmental concerns are not "vague", but rather, very concrete. In this article, he encourages Friends of Lackawanna and KSL to negotiate a solution. To date, KSL has not offered any alternatives that we are aware of other than the proposal that DEP is considering. As we state in the letter:

“Friends of Lackawanna has made its position regarding the expansion of the Keystone Sanitary Landfill clear — we are firmly against it,” said Michele Dempsey, one of the organization’s leaders. “We believe that with the amount of harms and concerns that already exist, it cannot be allowed to expand."

5/1/2015: FOL Rests in Landfill Zoning Case

The first two hearings on the Friends of Lackawanna challenge have been full of tense moments like when the zoning board rejected the grassroots group’s expert witness and landfill consultants did now show up to testify after the zoning board subpoenaed them.

The third hearing started with a little humor as Friends of Lackawanna attorney Jordan Yeager called witness Jeffrey Spaide, a waste management official for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“Finally, someone showed up for one of my subpoenas,” Dino Sabatell, chairman of the zoning board, said to laughs.

Describing various aspects of Keystone, Mr. Spaide told the zoning board three of four smaller landfills have a multiple-layer liner system installed on an anchor trench. Liners are welded together to avoid holes or seams, and when waste reaches the top of its engineered slope, Keystone places a cap on it.

4/30/2015: Rep. Cartwright Statement on BRADS Landfill and Keystone Sanitary Landfill

Rep. Cartwright Statement on BRADS Landfill and Keystone Sanitary Landfill

Scranton, PA – Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright released the following statement concerning two separate landfills located in the 17th Congressional district; both sites are currently going through the Commonwealth’s application process.

The proposed Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site, or BRADS Landfill, would be located in Blythe Township and border St. Clair in Schuylkill County. The landfill has received permission from the PA Environmental Hearing Board to move forward, but that permit is being appealed by multiple entities.

The Keystone Sanitary Landfill, located in both Dunmore and Throop boroughs north of Scranton, has submitted an application for expansion, which is pending approval by the Department of Environmental Protection. The landfill has applied to expand its lifespan of 9.5 years to 47.7 years, adding about 106 million tons, and expanding the landfill skyward, making the trash about 220 feet higher than it is currently.

“The BRADS Landfill has been fought successfully by residents of Blythe Township and St. Clair since 2004. The proposed site would encompass 252 acres, would be only 2,400 feet from Wolf Creek Reservoir and would be near the Silver Creek Reservoir, the drinking water sources for Pottsville, the boroughs of Mechanicsville, Palo Alto, Port Carbon, Saint Clair, and Blythe, East Norwegian, New Castle, and Norwegian townships. I believe the landfill could pose a direct threat to the residents and business owners of Blythe Township, St. Clair, and surrounding communities and, as such, it should not become a reality.”

“The proposed expansion to the Keystone Sanitary Landfill does not appear to pose the same kind of immediate threat to the residents of Dunmore and Throop boroughs, but relying on out-of-state garbage for the region’s economic development is not a good idea. A great many constituents have raised concerns about this proposal in their letters and emails, and I believe the massive scope of that expansion sends the wrong signal regarding our hope for the future of our area.”

Rep. Matt Cartwright represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes Schuylkill County and portions of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, and Northampton Counties. Cartwright serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

4/30/2015: DEP Sampling Air New Keystone Sanitary Landfill

The DEP has begun air sampling as part of the Health Study so be on the lookout for their mobile unit in your neighborhood. Sad to see a woman from the neighborhood in this report who is holding a child say the landfill doesn't effect her aside from the smells. Our guess is she missed the article in the Times Tribune this weekend about poisonous gases getting into neighborhood homes that were likely from the landfill, but the report got dropped and nobody knows why. The gases could still be moving through the coal seams under our homes and we need to demand that the DEP follow up on that investigation.