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#PenobscotNation and #ConservationLawFoundation appeal to stop #JuniperRidgeLandfill expansion

Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet
Published November 13, 2024

"The Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation have filed an appeal in Superior Court to stop the expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in #OldTownMaine.

"In October the state concluded that the expansion was in the public's interest and set several conditions that #Casella Waste Management must meet to move forward with the project.

"Alexandra St. Pierre of the Conservation Law Foundation said the expansion runs contrary to the state's waste management goals, which prioritize reduction of waste volume and using #landfills.

"'Our goal here is to ensure that the decision is consistent with environmental justice and with the solid waste hierarchy as the law requires,' St. Pierre said.

"The Penobscot Nation and #CLF said that in its finding, the state failed to guarantee the safety of residents and the #environment.

"They argue that harmful exposure to #PFAS in the landfill's #leachate, #AirPollution and contamination of the #PenobscotRiver will all increase.

"'And we're really hoping we'll get adequate consideration for the issues that we raised and that the people actually themselves are considered and that #EnvironmentalJustice is implemented,' St. Pierre said.

"The DEP said it is unable to comment on pending litigation."

mainepublic.org/courts-and-cri

WMEH · Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation appeal to stop Juniper Ridge Landfill expansionBy Carol Bousquet

#MaineDEP says expansion of state’s largest landfill would benefit public

The decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned #JuniperRidgeLandfill, which takes in 52% of the state's waste.

by Penelope Overton
October 2, 2024

"Despite objections from neighbors and environmental groups, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection concluded Wednesday that expanding the state’s largest landfill, Juniper Ridge, would substantially benefit the public.
It’s not an outright approval, but the department’s decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state’s waste. The state claims this expansion would extend the facility’s operating life by 11 years; without it, it would run out of space by 2028.

"DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim’s decision can be appealed to the Board of Environmental Protection and the Maine courts, and several opponents of the proposed expansion, like the Boston-based #ConservationLawFoundation , say they are prepared to challenge the decision.

"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' said #AlexandraStPierre, the director of communities and toxics in the foundation’s #EnvironmentalJustice Program. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the #PenobscotNation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community.'

"She continued: 'We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'

"The foundation and other opponents say the #OldTown location of the facility unfairly places the burden of the state’s trash needs on the Penobscot Nation. The #leachate that #JuniperRidge produces when it rains is sent to a nearby paper mill sewer plant that discharges into the #PenobscotRiver.

[...]

"The amount of waste heading to Maine landfills has increased 34% between 2018 and 2022, according to DEP. #Sludge that was once spread on #agricultural fields is now landfilled due to forever chemical #contamination [#PFAS]. The amount of municipal solid waste landfilled during that time jumped 47%.

"While some people say Maine is not doing enough to divert waste from the #landfills – for example, a bill that would have required large #FoodWaste generators to #recycle their #scraps at a nearby facility died on the appropriations table – others object to #Casella as the facility operator.

"Casella clashed with some municipal leaders and state lawmakers when it refused to accept the #biosolids created by wastewater treatment plants at Juniper Ridge out of fear that the mushy slop, or sludge, was causing structural instability that could lead to the landfill’s collapse."

Original article:
pressherald.com/2024/10/02/mai

Archived version:
archive.md/VXv9m

#WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #JuniperRidgeLandfill #CasellaWasteSystems #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicFire #PFASPollution
#WabanakiAlliance
#DontWasteME #Slingshot #EnvironmentalJustice #PenobscotNation #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #EnvironmentalInjustice #CompostFoodWaste #ReduceWaste

Press Herald · Maine DEP says expansion of state’s largest landfill would benefit publicThe decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state's waste.