Power of the People
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Photo by Eugenia Jones Cox thanked the McCreary County Fiscal Court for their support.
The Transparent Bridge Initiative and Cumberland Clear, two citizen groups formed in opposition to the construction of a proposed second landfill and related rail solid waste transfer station in the Bear Creek Area of Onedia/Winfield, TN, are both hard at work and appear to be making headway in their battle to stop the proposed project.
On Thursday, Cody Cox, co-founder of The Transparent Bridge Initiative (TTBI), addressed McCreary County Fiscal Court during their regular monthly meeting. Cox expressed his gratitude to the court for allowing him to speak and also for the court’s willingness to participate in a TTBI effort to gather McCreary County signatures on a petition opposing the landfill project. Cox emphasized that opposing the landfill is not a political issue but a generational one that impacts the health, business opportunities, and quality of life for future generations of both Scott (TN) and McCreary Countians. If the landfill is constructed, McCreary County’s most pressing concern is the potential for contamination of streams and creeks (e.g. Bear Creek) that feed into the Big South Fork River. McCreary County is downstream from the proposed landfill/transfer station site, and the county’s primary water intake comes from the Big South Fork River.
Cox encouraged the Court to continue raising awareness of the landfill issue and its potentially dangerous impact on McCreary County.
Last week, before the Fiscal Court meeting, both TTBI co-founders, Cox and Lisa Wojcik , were in McCreary County gathering petition signatures from those opposed to the landfill project. The deadline for collecting signatures has been extended until the end of August, and both organizers plan to be in McCreary County several more times to gather signatures. As soon as the McJ receives information regarding where and when the petition can be signed in McCreary County, it will notify its readers and followers.
On Friday, Cumberland Clear, another citizen group opposed to the landfill, announced a significant development. According to Jennifer Shockley, Cumberland Clear’s secretary, the attorney retained by Cumberland Clear to litigate opposition to the landfill, Elizabeth L. Murphy, formally requested that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) revoke the 2010 permit for the proposed Roberta II landfill in Scott County, based on the permit being invalid. Cumberland Clear stated the following regarding Murphy’s formal request.
“The permit is invalid: it was never lawfully approved under the required processes, its Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit expired years ago, and new streams and wetlands have been identified that would be impacted. The landfill’s leachate plan is also unworkable, with no treatment in place. After 15 years with no construction and significant environmental changes, this permit cannot be recertified.”
The correspondence to TDEC stated that the request to revoke the permit was made on behalf of Murphy’s client, Cumberland Clear, a Tennessee Corporation in Scott County. The correspondence further outlined several reasons the permit should be revoked, including arguments that (1) TDEC disregarded two mandatory local approval processes (Jackson Law and Regional Board Approval), (2) Serious concerns persist about whether the water resources on the site have been identified and how those will be treated under new ARAPs (Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit), and (3) Lack of realistic leachate management.
Both groups, The Transparent Bridge Initiative and Cumberland Clear, state they will continue to fight the construction of the landfill. Both groups encourage concerned McCreary Countians to join them. For more information, visit the following Facebook pages/groups: The Transparent Bridge Initiative, Cumberland Clear, and Don’t Trash Scott County. For website information, visit: thetransparentbridgeinitiative.org or cumberlandclear.org.
The McCreary Journal will continue to provide coverage as it impacts McCreary County.
Cumberland Clear Statement
Today, we are pleased to announce that our attorney, Elizabeth L. Murphy, has formally requested that TDEC revoke the 2010 permit for the proposed Roberta II landfill in Scott County.
The permit is invalid: it was never lawfully approved under the required processes, its Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit expired years ago, and new streams and wetlands have been identified that would be impacted. The landfill’s leachate plan is also unworkable, with no treatment in place. After 15 years with no construction and significant environmental changes, this permit cannot be recertified.
