COURTESY PHOTO
Wheelabrator Vice President of Environmental, Health & Safety Jim Connolly shakes hands with with Wildlife Habitat Council Chairman Kevin Butt in this December 2016 photo.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — The Alliance for Health & the Environment, a coalition of environmental organizations and public officials, will request a Special Town Meeting at tonight’s Board of Selectmen meeting as it continues to voice its opposition to the expansion of Wheelabrator Saugus, an energy-from-waste facility that provides disposal of up to 1,500 tons per day of waste from 10 Massachusetts communities.
The Alliance was founded in May 2016. Its focus is on raising awareness about impacts of waste incineration and associated ash disposal activities, reducing pollution associated with waste incineration and ash disposal, and promoting environmental justice for communities impacted by waste incineration and ash disposal, according to its website.
The Alliance is requesting the Board call a meeting to address three articles. If approved by Town Meeting, definitions will be added to the town’s zoning bylaws for “ash,” “landfill” and “ash landfill.” An addition would be made to the Environmental Performance Standards section that restricts the elevation of a landfill to 50 feet above mean sea level.
“No new landfill or new ash landfill shall be established in or adjacent to an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and no existing landfill or ash landfill shall be expanded in or adjacent to an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”
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The third article would alter the Table of Use Regulations under Zoning By-Laws, Article V, Section 5.6, by adding the principal use “landfill/ash landfill” as a line item under Wholesale Transportation and Industrial.
Wheelabrator maintains that its facility will continue to meet standards.
“Having first received word of this proposal today, we are in the process of analyzing it and may have further comment when that process is complete,” said James Connolly, Wheelabrator Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety in a statement.” We would be surprised and disappointed if the Board of Selectmen were to entertain such a request given that Wheelabrator Saugus continues to follow the regulatory processes required by MEPA and the DEP, the authorities which govern the operations of our monofill.
“We are confident that we will continue to meet all applicable standards and are committed to our ongoing operations in Saugus,” Connolly said. “Wheelabrator Saugus remains an integral part of the region’s environmental infrastructure, providing Massachusetts communities and businesses with an environmentally sound way to convert post-recycled waste to clean energy.”
State Rep. RoseLee Vincent (D-Revere), who chairs the Alliance, could not be reached for comment.
The group gathered 451 signatures, exceeding the minimum of 200 to call a Town Meeting, said Town Clerk Ellen Schena.
Tonight’s meeting will be at 7:30 at Saugus Town Hall.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte