TRUMBULL COUNTY Attorney outlines landfill fight

A consulting firm is helping to challenge the landfill, a lawyer says.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- The lawyer representing a residents group opposing a planned landfill says the battle will be fought in the short and long terms.
"They have to succeed on all fronts," Atty. Robert Karl of Columbus said of Trans Rail America Inc.'s proposal to construct a landfill along Drummond Avenue in Hubbard Township.
Karl outlined his opposition plan during a standing-room-only meeting Wednesday night of Hubbard Environmental & amp; Land Preservation in Hubbard City Council chambers.
Trans Rail, a Maryland company, is proposing a facility to accept construction and demolition materials on 20.5 acres; it owns a total of 172 acres.
Trans Rail has filed an application with the Trumbull County Board of Health. The board will meet Aug. 18 to rule on the application.
Researching application
Karl, who specializes in environmental law, told the group he has hired a consulting firm to scrutinize the application.
The consultant and attorneys will evaluate whether the landfill would contaminate the subsurface water or create an odor or dust. It will also evaluate the possible impact on wetlands on the property.
Karl said the possibility that the site is over an old coal mine is also being explored.
The information will be used to challenge the application or any other permits Trans Rail may need, Karl said.
He explained that the landfill, if allowed to open, would most likely need to expand from its 20.5 acres because operating on such a small site many not be economically feasible.
In the short term, Karl noted, residents must stop the land from being rezoned.
Currently, the property is zoned light industrial, which requires any activity on it done within a structure.
Challenging any attempt to rezone is "another plan of attack," said Karl, who as an assistant state attorney general represented the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
A long-term solution is also needed, Karl said, noting that even if Trans Rail withdraws its application, it could resubmit it later or sell the land, which wouldn't prohibit another attempt to create a landfill.
Karl contended that the state Legislature must increase restrictions on out-of-state waste that comes into Ohio.
Karl pointed out that the materials dumped in the township could contain asbestos and other toxic chemicals.
"Those are issues. Those are big issues," he said.
yovich@vindy.com