New York’s highest court has ruled that Seneca Meadows, the operator of the landfill in Seneca Falls, has the legal right to challenge a town law that would force the facility to close by the end of 2025, sending the case back to lower courts for further review.
In a decision issued Tuesday (see below), the Court of Appeals reversed an Appellate Division ruling that had thrown out Seneca Meadows’ environmental challenge on standing grounds. The high court held that, as the owner and operator of the landfill directly targeted by the law, Seneca Meadows has standing to argue that the Town of Seneca Falls failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act, known as SEQRA.
The 2016 local law, known as Local Law No. 3, was adopted by the Seneca Falls Town Board after years of resident complaints about odors from the landfill. It bans solid waste disposal facilities in the town but allows Seneca Meadows to continue operating until its state permit expires or until December 31, 2025.
Seneca Meadows has argued that the town violated SEQRA by failing to take the required “hard look” at potential environmental impacts before adopting the law. Opponents of the landfill, including Dixie Lemmon and the group Concerned Citizens of Seneca County, contended that the company lacked standing because it did not allege environmental harm.
The Court of Appeals rejected that argument, citing long-standing precedent that property owners whose land is directly affected by a government action may challenge compliance with SEQRA without separately alleging environmental injury.
The court did not rule on whether the town law was properly adopted under SEQRA, nor did it decide whether the landfill must ultimately close. It also declined, at this stage, to consider arguments that Seneca Meadows filed its lawsuit too late.
Instead, the court sent the case back to the Appellate Division for consideration of the merits of Seneca Meadows’ SEQRA claim.
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