The Seneca Falls Town Board could vote tonight on the future of the Seneca Meadows Landfill.
The board is scheduled to decide on whether or not to extend a local operating permit beyond this year’s deadline and vote on a new host community agreement.
The town permit is not necessary for the landfill to operate because it is superseded by its state operating permit, which expires at the end of next year. However, Seneca Lake Guardian, the local group leading the charge to close the Seneca Meadows Landfill, said the Town Board has the authority to refuse the landfill’s request for a local permit and deny a Host Community Agreement, and the State must respect that decision. The state’s statutory and regulatory framework around solid waste management supports local decision-making about whether and to what extent a locality allows a landfill to operate in its community. Attorneys at Earthjustice reinforced this framework regarding SMI’s operations in a letter shared last September.”
Seneca Meadows has applied to the state DEC for a state permit to continue operating through 2040. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation‘s decision has been delayed multiple times.
Seneca Meadows is the largest landfill in New York State, capable of handling up to 6,000 tons of waste daily
Tonight’s meeting starts at 6 o’clock at the Seneca Falls Community Center.
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