Scott Solid Waste Board pens letter to TDEC opposing landfill
HUNTSVILLE | In a move that could hardly be labeled a surprise, the Scott County Solid Waste Board on Monday approved a letter to send to the TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation stating that it does not see a need for an additional landfill in Scott County.
The letter was approved in a special called meeting of the Solid Waste Board on Monday. The board had previously met in regular session two weeks ago, but did not have a quorum and could not approve a letter at that time. Scott County Commission was initially expected to vote on a letter when it met last week, but ultimately it was determined that a letter from County Commission would be unnecessary, since the county is already fighting against the landfill as part of a coalition of local governments.
The letter being submitted to TDEC was authored by Winfield Mayor Jerry Dodson, who is chairman of the Solid Waste Board.
“After a thorough review of current capacity, tonnage trends, and projected needs, the Board has determined that there is no need for any additional landfills in Scott County at this time,” the letter stated. “The existing facilities are sufficient to meet the county’s solid waste management needs for the foreseeable future.”
The reference to existing facilities is a reference to Volunteer Regional Landfill, which is located adjacent to the planned second landfill and is owned by Waste Connections LLC. The second landfill is proposed by Trans-Rail Waste Services LLC, which includes investors in both the Chattanooga and Atlanta areas. The company has proposed to buy up to 800 acres of property between the existing landfill and Poplar Lane in Winfield that includes a 24-acre landfill permit issued by TDEC in 2010 under the name Roberta Phase II. Volunteer Regional Landfill was originally named Roberta Sanitary Landfill, and the Roberta Phase II permit was applied for by the original owner of the first landfill, the late Johnny King.
“We respectfully request that this determination be reflected in the state’s records and considered in any future permit applications or evaluations regarding landfill development or expansion within Scott County,” the letter continued.
Regional solid waste boards were established when the state legislature passed solid waste reform legislation in 1991. Under the state’s guidelines, those local solid waste boards are charged with reviewing and taking a stance on proposed landfills. However, the ultimate decision on whether to permit a landfill is made by TDEC, which does not always heed local wishes. When the Roberta Phase II landfill permit was issued in 2010, for example, TDEC did not ask the Scott County Solid Waste Board for an endorsement of the plan.
The battle against the landfill is ongoing on several fronts. Local governments have united in their opposition to the landfill, with the governments of Scott County, McCreary County, Oneida, Huntsville and Winfield forming a coalition that has retained an attorney and appropriated nearly $100,000 between themselves to pay for legal fees. Separately, a citizens group calling itself Cumberland Clear has retained an attorney who has submitted documentation to TDEC in opposition of the landfill. A second citizens group, the Transparent Bridge Initiative, has also been formed and is actively opposed to the landfill proposal.
Thursday afternoon, State Sen. Ken Yager — who represents Scott County in the state senate and had previously written a letter to and met with TDEC Commissioner David Salyers to express his opposition to the landfill — met with all four mayors in Huntsville to formulate a plan of opposition. Present at that meeting were Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers, Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones, and Winfield Mayor Jerry Dodson.
Separate from the proposed landfill, Trans-Rail Waste Services has applied for a transfer station along the Norfolk-Southern Railroad just off Poplar Lane. So far, TDEC has not acted on either recertifying the 2010 landfill permit or approving the transfer station permit.