Senator Edith Prague is Fighting for Our Environment
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| Friday, February 20th 2009 |
From a ReminderNews Article, dated February 20, 2009
Legislature gets involved in landfi ll
BY MELANIE SAVAGE Staff Writer
Folks opposed to the proposed ash landfill in Franklin are feeling cautiously optimistic, after a lengthy hearing before the Environment Committee at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. “I think it went well,” said Simone Mellor of the Toxics Action Center, a public health and environmental non-profit assisting residents in fighting the landfill. “We had a lot of people speak for us.”
The Environment Committee, made up of senators and representatives from around the state, heard testimony regarding a bill proposed by Sen. Edith Prague and Rep. Kevin Ryan. The bill, entitled “An act prohibiting the acquisition or use of certain parcels of land as ash residue disposal areas,” will go before the Senate and the House, if approved by the committee.
Numerous local legislators and public officials spoke in favor of the bill, including Sen. Prague, Rep. Ryan, Rep. Susan Johnson, Windham First Selectman Jean de Smet, and Sprague First Selectman Catherine Osten. Also speaking in favor of the bill were numerous residents from affected towns, as well as representatives from two non-profit groups, Toxics Action Center and Environment Connecticut. There were a handful of speakers against the bill, all with connections to Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, the quasi-state agency attempting to locate the landfill on the site of the former Franklin Mushroom Farm.
Sen. Prague opened the testimony along with Susan Allen, a leader in the grass roots effort to stop the dump. “What CRRA is planning to do is totally outrageous,” said Prague. “It is unconscionable that the CRRA would run roughshod over the people of Franklin, who do not want it in their town. Property and Zoning has had their power taken away from them.”
Allen came to testify armed with 51 letters from opposed residents, as well as a petition with 158 signatures. She portrayed Franklin as a part of the “Last Green Valley,” home to eagles, salmon, and other wildlife, and also a regional ecotourism site. “This area, it’s a jewel,” said Allen.
CRRA representative Tom Kirk reiterated the importance of locating a new landfill site following the closure of a Hartford site in December. A site currently in use in Putnam is scheduled to be available through 2018. “Nine years is the blink of an eye in terms of solid waste disposal,” said Kirk. Kirk pointed out that Connecticut is at the forefront of waste disposal. “By next year, we will be the first state to eliminate completely solid trash landfills,” he said. But despite recycling efforts, “we have millions of tons to deal with.”
The question of what to do with these millions of tons came up repeatedly during the hearing. “If this bill passes, what is the second choice for the site?” asked Rep. Jim O’Rourke , from the 32nd district (Cromwell, Middletown, Portland ). Kirk responded that the CRRA was not revealing the ranked list of potential sites at this time. “We’ve determined that the Franklin site is the best choice,” said Kirk. “Are any of the choices in my district?” asked O’Rouke , elicting a laugh from the room.
During her testimony, Mellor noted that “according to the Environmental Protection Agency, all landfills leak.” Toxins leaching from the landfill and seeping into the river could include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and other toxic metals. “Drinking water in Franklin and in communities downstream would be in peril.” Mellor pointed out that the aquifer beneath the proposed site is currently graded as GA to GAA by the Department of Environmental Protection, meaning that it is some of the cleanest water around and drinkable without treatment.
“Not to be facetious,” said committee vice-chair Sen. Andrew Maynard, “but is there any place that your organization would find acceptable for the new landfill?”
Asked the same question, Chris Phelps from environmental non-profit Environment Connecticut said, “I really would be hard-pressed to recommend any sight. Someone is always going to get hurt.” He did feel that Franklin was “the worst possible site for a new landfill .”
Franklin resident Scott Jacobs agreed. Again citing Franklin as part of “The Last Green Valley,” Jacobs spoke of the merits of the Shetucket River and the wildlife that live in and around it. “What are we going to leave for our children?” asked Jacobs. “Some of these rivers already have a great deal of contaminants in them. Our river is still clean. Do we want to jeopardize that?” He echoed the sentiments of de Smet and others in promoting recycling over trash incineration.
CRRA spokesperson Paul Nonnenmacher agreed that increased recycling is the preferred solution. “But until we’re a zero-waste society, processing trash to energy is the best way to deal with garbage.” He disagreed with Sen. Prague’s claims that his agency has been non-communicative with local residents. “We’ve been working closely with the first selectman,” said Nonnenmacher . “We’ve mailed out information to the residents. We are committed to working with the community to make the landfill a safe solution.”
Nonnenmacher said that the CRRA has no intention of polluting residents’ wells or a potential public water source. “We have to determine the amount of water in that aquifer and the direction in which it flows,” he said. If studies identify the aquifer as a drinking source, “that could be a deal breaker.”
Nonnenmacher referred to a former landfill in Shelton which has been closed for a number of years. CRRA currently leases the land to a local resident , who runs The Sport Center of Connecticut on the site. “It’s on the shores of the Housatonic,” said Nonnenmacher . “There are batting cages, mini-golf , a twin ice rink.” Nonnenmacher said that the CRRA doesn’t just abandon a landfill once its useful lifespan has run its course. “We cap it, and we monitor and maintain it for at least 30 years,” he said. |
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