Landfill company gives up fight

A local organization was formed to fight the landfill.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
PORTERSVILLE, Pa. -- The fight against a proposed landfill near McConnell's Mill State Park is apparently over.
Sechan Limestone Industries Inc. filed paperwork Thursday to end its appeal of a decision by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Sechan applied for a permit in July 2001 to construct a 91-acre nonhazardous waste landfill in both Lawrence and Butler counties.
Local environmental activists and elected officials came out against the plan because of its proximity to McConnell's Mill State Park and the Slippery Rock Creek, a water source for the southern end of Lawrence County.
Sechan's plans called for accepting residual waste, which can include rubber, contaminated soil, ceramics, pesticides and pharmaceutical waste.
Company officials could not be reached to comment.
The DEP rejected Sechan's initial application in 2003 based on harms/benefits analysis, which found that the potential problems with such a landfill far outweighed any benefits of the plan.
According to the DEP, the only benefits cited by the company were local financial benefits and additional employment. Potential problems could have been the loss of tourism and recreational activities, property value loss and air emissions, the DEP stated.
What was done
A local organization, Friends of McConnell's Mill, formed to fight the landfill and included Ed Fosnaught, Lawrence County commissioner; Jan Marshall, then Perry Township supervisor; and Amy Jo Labi Carando, Lawrence County Recycling director.
Friends of McConnell's Mill was able to get every municipality in Lawrence County to pass ordinances opposing the landfill.
"The people of this county rallied to protect our park. The combination of citizen outrage and a good lawyer representing the county are the fundamental reasons for stopping this landfill," Fosnaught said.
State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, who was also a vigilant opponent of the landfill, agreed.
"Politicians always rush to take credit for victory after the fact. However, the credit here belongs to the people who stood up and worked through the process of government to protect the park, the Slippery Rock Creek and the people who drink from it every day," LaGrotta said.
LaGrotta noted that Terry Shaffer of his staff dedicated almost every work hour for more than a year to this project.
"His research and dedication, coupled with the convictions of the citizens group, won this fight," he said.
cioffi@vindy.com