Residents throughout Scott County began receiving robocalls Thursday evening warning them that a “proposed ecology park in Scott County” that would bring new jobs to the community and split $2 million annually between Scott County and the Town of Oneida is in danger of being “shut down” by government representatives in Nashville.
As it turns out, however, “ecology park” is just another term for “dump.”
The call — which urged local residents to contact their elected officials to tell them “Scott County deserves this economic opportunity” — directed residents to a website stating that the “ecology park” will contain a materials recovery facility, a landfill, and a railroad.
That is a reference to the proposed Roberta Phase II landfill in the Bear Creek area of north Oneida, which has faced stiff opposition from local governments and residents alike.
The robocall campaign comes on the eve of a vote in a state House of Representatives subcommittee that would advance legislation aimed at stopping the landfill development by classifying the Big South Fork River as a Tennessee Scenic River and applying new provisions that would only impact Scott County: not allowing a new landfill in a county where two rivers meet before traveling through a national river and recreation area and then crossing into another state.
That legislation, sponsored by Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, and Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown, has already sailed through the Senate, meeting no opposition and passing unanimously earlier this week.
A similar vote of approval in the House — which can only happen after the legislation clears a subcommittee vote tomorrow and a committee vote later — would pave the way for Gov. Bill Lee to sign it into law.
The website touted by the robocalls states that the “ecology park” will result in 50 permanent jobs in Scott County, increased revenue from property tax payments, $1 million in contractual fees to both the Town of Oneida and the county, and other benefits.
The website states that “this new development would bring in millions of dollars to our community but big business interests are trying to shut it down.” It adds: “We have to make our voice heard, our community should not be passed over.”
In reality, the fight against the landfill has been almost completely waged at the grassroots and local government levels. A coalition of local governments that includes Scott County, the towns of Oneida, Huntsville, and Winfield, and McCreary County, has spent nearly $100,000 in legal fees to build a defense against the landfill. One small business, Timber Rock Lodge, which is located adjacent to the proposed landfill, has filed a lawsuit in Davidson County Chancery Court.
Ironically, the biggest business interest involved in the landfill fight has been the National Waste & Recycling Association, which sent lobbyists to the state capital last week to argue against the Yager-Keisling legislation.
It isn’t clear whether the National Waste & Recycling Association was also behind Tuesday’s spurt of robocalls; the caller was not identified, and the economicopportunity4scottcounty.org domain name — which was registered on Tuesday — uses a proxy registrar that allows the domain owner to keep its personal information private in the WHOIS database, which is a relatively common tactic.
Landfills have been termed “ecology parks” by public relations campaigns in the past. However, the term — sometimes shortened to eco-park — usually refers to land set aside for conservation efforts and education. Often, an eco-park is a former landfill that has been repurposed as a green space, with walking trails, wildlife habitats and recreational areas.