Niagara County Legislator Irene Myers is urging residents to contact Governor Kathy Hochul’s office and urge her to accept the hearing judge’s decision that recommends denying CWM’s bid to site a new landfill in the Town of Porter. The Niagara County Legislature passed its own resolution last week.
“The hearing judge’s recommendation marks a major victory for the health and welfare of our community,” said Myers. “Our region has been a dumping ground for way too long to the detriment of our residents and it’s time to stop it. But this battle is not over yet, as CWM is putting on a full lobbying effort for the state to reject the hearing judge’s decision. We must fight back.”
The hearing judge issued a 220-page decision that recommends all permits for the proposal be denied. Before it can built, two state agencies must approve the new landfill. The Commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation must issue several permits, and the state Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Board must approve the site. CWM first applied for the state approvals it needs in 2003. CWM also needs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to approve a permit under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act.
The hearing judge is recommending that the state Siting Board deny approval, and that the DEC Commissioner decline to issue any permits since a denial by the Siting Board would mean that the proposal is not viable.
Myers is urging people to contact the Governor’s office through their online form and demand the hearing judge’s recommendation be accepted and all CWM approvals be denied. Residents can contact the Governor at https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form. It takes less than five minutes to complete the form. People can also call the Governor’s office at 518-474-8390 and press option 1 to leave a message.
In his decision, the hearing judge said there is a lack of need for another hazardous waste landfill in New York, it is unfair to continue to make Niagara County home for the state’s only hazardous waste landfill, and there is an absence of any other public interest in building the project.
“This is our opportunity to move on from a past that included CWM discharging PCBs and other toxic substances into the Niagara River,” said Myers. “This river provides our drinking water, it is instrumental to our fishing industry, it drives recreational tourism. Please let the Governor know our community is united in our opposition to permitting a new CWM hazardous waste dump in Niagara County.”
