Circular enerG Seeks to Build NY’s Largest Trash Incinerator Facility in the Finger Lakes
For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 12, 2017
Contact:
Kenneth Londono, kenneth.londono@berlinrosen.com, 646-335-0420
Joseph Campbell, muchado@gmail.com, 607-769-4639
Original Plan Failed to Comply with Article 10’s Public Involvement Requirement
Romulus, NY – In a letter released today, staff of the New York State Department of Public Service requested revisions to Circular enerG’s Public Involvement Program Plan (“PIP Plan”) for their Article 10 application on their proposal to build the state’s largest trash incinerator facility in the Finger Lakes. The letter requested the developer to revise several aspects of the plan, most notably explain how it will overcome local zoning laws, describe the impact on the wine and tourism economies and describe the source of the garbage.
Circular enerG, a start-up based in Rochester, submitted its Article 10 application for its proposal to build the state’s largest trash incinerator facility at the Seneca Army Depot in March. This was following fierce local opposition that forced it to withdraw its local special permit application from the Town of Romulus Zoning Board.
If approved, the facility would transport over two thousand five hundred tons of trash by truck and rail from across the state daily for burning and would emit toxic gases, like dioxins, from a 260-foot smokestack.
Last week, Earth Justice sent a letter to the Department of Public Service detailing several concerns it had surrounding Circular enerG’s PIP Plan. Those concerns included a lack of a robust local stakeholder list, plans to only notify registered voters of the project plans and inadequate descriptions of the project’s details, environmental impact and local engagement plans.
“The Department of Public Service Staff’s suggested revisions to Circular enerG’s Public Involvement Program Plan (PIP Plan) are welcome news,” said attorney Melissa Legge of Earthjustice. “As we wrote to the DPS earlier this month, the original PIP Plan failed in numerous ways to ensure that stakeholders in the area surrounding the proposed 24-story smokestack would have an opportunity to weigh in on the visual and health impacts of the project.”
“We look forward to reviewing a revised ‘Public Involvement Program’ Plan (PIP) from Circular enerG that explains how they are going to overcome the local zoning laws that prohibit the facility, identify the source of 2,640 tons of garbage that will go to the facility every day and how that will affect communities statewide.” said Yvonne Taylor from Seneca Lake Guardian. “As we have been saying for months, this project is a bad deal for the Finger Lakes and ourregional economy and should never be approved.”