Thank you for your support – we cannot say that often enough. Over the last few weeks we have asked you to contact Virginia Delegates and Senators in reference to two bills before the General Assembly. Although the bills did not pass, they did not die either; they are continued until 2021. Consider this a win as we now have the opportunity to work with the patrons of the bills and present them again next year. This is due to your support with the phone calls, e-mails, and visits to the Delegates and Senators.
This was not the only item we asked for your assistance. We held the February Townhall Community Meeting on February 9, 2020. There were about 45 people in attendance and a lot of information was shared about the two bills before the General Assembly and that the Notice of Intent (NOI) and Part A application were submitted by Green Ridge/County Waste to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on January 22, 2020. A copy of the NOI and Part A application submitted by Green Ridge/County Waste are in the Cumberland County library for you to review. Everyone is asked to take a minute and review it. If you can’t make it to the library, the information is also available on the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) website: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/LandProtectionRevitalization/PermittingCompliance/GreenRidge.aspx.
At the Townhall Community Meeting we urged people to attend the Board of Supervisors regular meeting on February 11, 2020 at the Cumberland County Courthouse. What a fantastic turnout!!!. Attorney Patrick McSweeney, legal counsel for CCLA, spoke before the Board about some of the concerns about the proposed landfill the new Board of Supervisors should consider. The lack of due diligence and that receiving millions of dollars of revenue from the operator blinded the predecessors from considering legitimate concerns about the project.
Attorney McSweeney went on to say there are many concerns with the proposed mega-landfill to include: (1) EPA has concluded the “even the best liner and leachate collection systems will ultimately fail due to natural deterioration”; (2) the proposed mega-landfill is located in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone which increases the likelihood that leachate will escape due to seismic activity within the zone and contaminate ground and surface water; (3) a U.S. Geologic Survey report completed in 2003 concluded that ground water in the vicinity of the project has a 100% susceptibility to contamination over a 50-year period because of the natural geologic conditions; and, (4) Green Ridge has stated publicly that Virginia’s DEQ has rigorous requirements comparable to other states. This is demonstrably false. Virginia’s regulations requirements for liners, stormwater runoff and leachate collection and disposal are far weaker than those of New York, for example. In closing, Mr. McSweeney, asked the Board to consider these items. (Note – Mr. McSweeney’s three minutes was up).
Several other citizens presented comments concerning the landfill ranging from “who is in charge of Cumberland County – the Board of Supervisors or County Waste” to the traffic concerns along the 2-lane stretch of route 60 between Cumberland and Powhatan counties where several trees were down across the road in the recent rain storms causing delays and safety issues. The citizens of Cumberland and Powhatan counties did an excellent job of presenting their concerns about the proposed mega-landfill to the Board of Supervisors.
Once again, THANK YOU!!! for your support.