SAUGUS — Solid waste incineration will be a burning topic at a meeting planned for Nov. 13.
“Health and quality of life issues are of the utmost importance, so I hope this forum is well attended,” said Debra Panetta, chairwoman of the Saugus Board of Selectmen.
The Alliance for Health and Environment is sponsoring a forum about solid waste incineration called “A Conversation about Solid Waste Incineration, everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about incinerators, ash landfills, and better alternatives.” The event will be at 6:30 p.m., at Fox Hill Yacht Club on Ballard Street.
“This is an important informational meeting to learn more about the impact of incineration and landfills in our neighborhoods,” said Panetta. “Since Saugus is the host community for both an incinerator and an unlined ash landfill, which abuts both Revere and Lynn, it’s critical that residents have the opportunity to have their questions asked. With the change in demographics and the availability of new housing options, all residents should be afforded the opportunity to be informed and participate in obtaining and maintaining a healthy environment.”
Speakers will include Mike Ewall, director of Energy Justice Network, Kirstie Pecci, director of the Zero Waste Project, Conservation Law Foundation, and Mary Lester, executive director of the Saugus River Watershed Council.
The Alliance for Health and Environment was formed in 2016 with the goal of raising awareness of incinerator ash disposal activities in Saugus, reducing pollution associated with waste incineration and ash disposal, and promoting environmental justice for communities impacted by waste incineration and ash disposal. The group is vocal in its opposition to the continued operation of Wheelabrator Saugus,
Members include public officials, concerned residents of Saugus and Revere, as well as representatives from many highly respected environmental advocacy groups, including the Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Water Action, Toxics Action Center, the Saugus River Watershed Council, Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment, Friends of Belle Isle Marsh and the Point of Pines Beach Association.
In April, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) decided it would allow Wheelabrator Saugus to stage ash residue on its landfill before transporting the material off-site, and to place additional fill in two valleys on the landfill.
The department received more than 1,800 written comments during a public comment period that ended in January, and reached a final to decision to approve of the permit application Monday. The decision can be appealed for the next 30 days.
The permit issued does not increase the landfill’s overall footprint or height. It will provide additional capacity of approximately 400,000 cubic yards, extending the life of the landfill by an estimated four-year period, according to MassDEP.
Any future vertical expansion of the landfill would require a full Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review and permitting process, and local approval through the comprehensive site assignment process.
State Rep. RoseLee Vincent (D-Revere), who chairs the Alliance for Health and the Environment, said in a statement that the decision was “more than troubling, it is irresponsible and reprehensible.”
The Conservation Law Foundation and Saugus Board of Health filed an appeal on the decision in May. They later requested, and were subsequently granted, an extension until Nov. 5 to file their motions and briefs in the case, according to a MassDEP spokesperson. The state will then have 30 days to respond once those are filed with the court.
In the complaint filed May 9, the foundation wrote that “MassDEP’s final decision was based on an error of law, in excess of the statutory authority or jurisdiction of the agency, made upon unlawful procedure, unsupported by substantial evidence, and arbitrary or capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law..”
It argued that MassDEP approved the project, despite Wheelabrator never obtaining a required site assignment permit from the Saugus Board of Health.
But in a statement, James Connolly, Wheelabrator’s vice president of Environmental Health and Safety, said that the permits will only allow Wheelabrator to continue the same operations and does not change the height, footprint, or lateral measurements of the landfill.
“The department considered all the technical issues associated with our operations, answered all public questions with thoroughness and specificity, and concluded that the monofill is safe and sound,” said Connolly.
Vincent said the meeting is a great opportunity to ask questions about incineration and ash landfills, especially since Saugus has both an incinerator and an unlined ash landfill, which borders both Revere and Lynn. This facility is located in the midst of Rumney Marsh, which is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
“This will be a great opportunity for residents of Revere, Saugus, Lynn and surrounding areas to come out and hear from experts about why an unbuffered incinerator and an unlined ash landfill in close proximity to neighborhoods like East Saugus, and the Riverside and Point of Pines in Revere, is so dangerous,” said Vincent. “I think it is important that people who live in the shadow of the Saugus incinerator and unlined landfill attend to learn more about these issues from professionals representing the Conservation Law Foundation, the Energy Justice Network and the Saugus River Watershed Council who have expertise in this area.”