DoomsdaysCW<p>This is the kind of BULLSHIT that the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PenobscotNation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PenobscotNation</span></a> have been dealing with for years! WTF!</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Maine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Maine</span></a> opens door for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/landfill" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>landfill</span></a> expansion despite community objections</p><p>By: Emma Davis - October 3, 2024 </p><p>"The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JuniperRidgeLandfill" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JuniperRidgeLandfill</span></a> is a step closer to an expansion that would allow for roughly 11 more years of use, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates concerned about the landfill’s impact on air and water quality in the region.</p><p>"In a decision released Wednesday, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Melanie Loyzim determined there is a substantial public benefit from a proposal to increase the capacity of the facility in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OldTown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OldTown</span></a> and Alton, which means the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Casella" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Casella</span></a> subsidiary that operates it can now submit an application for a license to expand the facility.</p><p>"The decision has not stymied opposition. The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ConservationLawFoundation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ConservationLawFoundation</span></a>, an environmental advocacy organization, is prepared to challenge the determination, according to director of communities and toxics Alexandra St. Pierre. </p><p>"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' St. Pierre wrote in a statement following the decision. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the Penobscot Nation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community. We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'</p><p>"Juniper Ridge Landfill is owned by the state but managed by the Bureau of General Services, which contracts with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NEWSMELandfill" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NEWSMELandfill</span></a> Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of the waste management company <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CasellaWasteManagement" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CasellaWasteManagement</span></a>. </p><p>"Opened in 1993 and last expanded in 2017, the landfill currently disposes of just over half of landfill waste in Maine and is expected to exhaust its current capacity by 2028. BGS has proposed expanding the landfill by 61 acres, which at the current fill rate of about 1 million cubic yards of waste per year, would allow for roughly 11 more years of use.</p><p>"The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MaineDEP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MaineDEP</span></a> concluded that Casella’s proposed expansion is needed to meet Maine’s short- and long-term waste capacity needs and is consistent with the state’s waste reduction plans. From 2018 to 2022, Maine’s landfill waste increased by 24%. Waste generation continues to increase at approximately 5.6% per year.</p><p>"Further, the DEP determined that the expansion doesn’t conflict with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalJustice</span></a> [BULLSHIT] — a new factor that had to be considered under a state law passed in 2021 — that is, as long as Casella meets a few conditions. </p><p>Environmental justice was among the concerns raised by environmental groups, local residents and the Penobscot Nation during public comment.</p><p>"The public argued there was insufficient treatment of landfill leachate — water that collects chemicals after passing through the waste — specifically for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, which runs into the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PenobscotRiver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PenobscotRiver</span></a>. </p><p>"The Penobscot Nations’s reservation at Indian Island is located FIVE MILES from the landfill and also includes the Penobscot River, along which Juniper Ridge is located."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://mainemorningstar.com/2024/10/03/maine-opens-door-for-landfill-expansion-despite-community-objections/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">mainemorningstar.com/2024/10/0</span><span class="invisible">3/maine-opens-door-for-landfill-expansion-despite-community-objections/</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterIsLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WaterIsLife</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PFAS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PFAS</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PenobscotRiver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PenobscotRiver</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Biosolids" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Biosolids</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WabanakiConfederacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WabanakiConfederacy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalDestruction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalDestruction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalRacism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalRacism</span></a></p>