CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners plan to use any means necessary, including filing an official appeal, to oppose the construction of the proposed Camp Hope Run Landfill in Boggs Township.
PA Waste LLC has proposed a landfill that would be located on an 845-acre facility boundary along state Route 153. It would be double-lined and able to receive 5,000 tons of waste daily for the next 25 years, according to previous GantDaily.com reports.
The state’s Department of Environmental Protection completed the Environmental Assessment Process for PA Waste’s application for a new municipal waste landfill in Boggs Township. The DEP evaluated the information contained in the application and determined the benefits of the proposal outweigh the known or potential harms, according to Commissioner Chairman John A. Sobel.
Sobel said the permit process will now proceed with the technical review of the information contained in the application. He said the DEP may perform additional balancing of the benefits and harms during the technical review of the application if additional information not previously considered should come to the DEP’s attention.
Commissioner Joan Robinson-McMillen said the county has concerns about the DEP’s decision and the commissioners will remain steadfast in its opposition to the landfill and what’s in the best interest of the county’s citizens.
Under a consent decree, she said the county’s municipal waste must be disposed of at the Veolia Greentree Landfill in Elk County and the Wayne Township Landfill in Clinton County for the next 10 years.
“We don’t see it as a benefit to Clearfield County,” she said. She said the commissioners have been in touch with their legal counsel and the state’s Department of Transportation regarding the proposed Boggs Township landfill.
Robinson-McMillen said the county sits right along Interstate 80 and if constructed, it would generate the additional traffic of 250 trucks, six days per week. She said these trucks would be coming off I-80 at exit 120, traveling down state Route 879, which she noted is a scenic byway.
From there, she said the trucks would travel across the SR 879 bypass off Park Avenue Extension and pass by the Lawrence Park Village Apartment Complex en route to Boggs Township. She said this raises concerns because there would be children who are getting on and off school buses at the apartment complex.
“Lawrence Township is going to be more affected than Boggs Township,” she said. “The township and county are going to bear the burden. And, people who are shopping at Lowe’s and Wal-Mart are going to be weaving in and out of truck traffic.”
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken said this board and the previous board have been steadfast in their opposition and will continue to be. Like Robinson-McMillen, he voiced concerns related to the influx in truck traffic.
According to him, a traffic study hasn’t been conducted and if the landfill is constructed, there would be dangers on SR 879 off I-80, where there are new restaurants and hotels in Lawrence Township.
“This is already a congested area,” he said.
McCracken also expressed concerns about it creating even more congestion in the areas of the I-80 on and off ramps; the U.S. Route 322 on ramp to SR 879; the trucks climbing the hill along the SR 879 bypass; and the SR 879/Park Avenue Extension off ramp. He said significant upgrades would be required to Park Avenue Extension.
“I think the fact it’s a scenic byway should have been considered. It’s a total disregard to the Lawrence Township area,” he said. He pointed out that the county had recently completed its 10-year update to its municipal solid waste management plan and properly advertised such. He said PA Waste didn’t submit a proposal.
“There’s no benefit to Clearfield County because they’re not in our plan,” he said. “There’s no trash disposal benefit for the county for at least 10 years.”
According to McCracken, PA Waste doesn’t have any compliance history, which raises serious concerns about its ability to ever operate a landfill. Plus, he said there isn’t any need for additional landfill space in central Pennsylvania.
Robinson-McMillen said if constructed, the proposed landfill isn’t going to hold waste from Clearfield County. She said it would be hauled in from New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
“You have to ask why they would want to truck four-and-a-half to five hours to Clearfield County to dispose of waste. Why is that? Why are we allowing it?, she asked. McCracken replied, “If we had a vote, we wouldn’t.”