Historical Archive

Solid Waste - Landfill

Breaking News - Zombie Plot to take over Fall River City Council Fails. No brains to eat!

Time warp once again descends on Fall River. This phenomenon happens every time the issue of disposing of the city’s solid waste comes up. Past solid waste disposal issues from earlier time periods keep repeating themselves, over and over and over again. Elected leaders do exactly the same thing they did before, over and over and over again. Nothing changes. 

 

Here’s a snippet from a 2001 Standard Times article on the dump:

 

The 407-foot-high landfill is scheduled to close in 2004, but BFI is expected to seek approval from the DEP to expand and stay open until at least 2007.

 

Yes, of course, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) allowed the dump expansion. Always much easier to keep kicking the can down the road.

 

In our August 2008 Newsletter we said:

 

The huge Allied Waste (formerly B.F.I.) dump in Fall River appears ready to expand once again. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection …a.k.a. Department Encouraging Pollution (DEP), despite years of discussion and planning, has yet to create an environmentally protective solid waste management plan for the state.

Exacerbating this lack locally are the majority of political leaders who, though occasionally raising tepid questions about the environmental dangers posed by the humongous dump, are much more interested in the “host” benefits that derive from having this noisome project in their community.

Here’s what they say, “Let’s keep our priorities straight …number one priority is keeping the dump open and those “host” fees rolling in.”

 

2012 and the now Republic Services Allied Waste Dump wants to expand again …and DEP still hasn’t come up with a final solid waste management plan for the state.

 

They do have a draft plan. Seems like they’ve had a “draft” one almost forever. 

 

Right now, we have Fall River officials once again back in the time warp replaying the same old, “what are we going to do with our solid waste once the dump closes …blah, blah, blah.”

 

Read this: http://www.wickedlocal.com/fall-river/news/x1733213519/Fall-River-to-hear-landfill-extension-plan?zc_p=1#axzz1rLzoUH00

 

And, this: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x898665442/Fall-River-City-Council-examines-life-after-landfill

 

“Rego identified the idled incinerator at the DPW barn, and asked, “Is that ever going to come to life? (Whoa!!! Is that Zombie talk …or what?) Getting an incinerator going again could alleviate a lot of this.”

 

No councilors addressed using the massive incinerator during the meeting. Afterward, Councilor Eric Poulin said he served on a task force a decade ago for the Lambert administration.

 

Poulin said the state has a moratorium on bringing an incinerator on line, but he was not sure if Fall River would be “grandfathered” to do it because of the prior use.”

 

Gee, Councilor Poulin ...why even put that thought in people’s heads?

 

Where have Rego and Poulin been for the past twenty years? Maybe the toxic emissions from the old incinerator are to blame?

 

We led the fight to close the failed Fall River Incinerator. It was a fight, with many local neighbors and environmental allies, that took years. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection knew the incinerator should close, but political pressure kept them from closing it. Once opposition reached “critical mass” DEP saw they had citizen allies and shut the filthy thing down.

 

From the moment it first opened the incinerator spewed toxins and heavy metals across southeastern Massachusetts. The failed incinerator was inappropriately sited in an impoverished area of the inner city and NEVER met clean air standards. Pressure from local politicians and state “waivers” allowed the toxic facility to operate for years.

 

We well remember a former incinerator-loving city councilor who appeared at a rally and press conference we called to shut the incinerator down. He boldly told the news reporters, “Dat ain’t pollutin nothin. Look at dat white steam comin outta de chimney. Dat ain’t smoke, ya know …dat’s just clean steam!” When shown the emissions data reports from DEP, he refused to believe them. “I don’t see none of dat stuff comin outta de chimney.”

 

Obviously no zombie snack between that guys ears either.

 

So, once more, here we go again. The time warp is back and descends upon the news media too. Read it here:http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x787563427/Fall-River-incinerator-wont-likely-be-fired-up-anytime-soon

 

We have a short-term solution to the regional mega-dump, incinerator and Fall River’s solid waste disposal needs while we wait for the state to get its act together. You can read about it in our May Newsletter due out shortly.

 

 

Stay tuned.

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