This timeline will allow the reader to see a progression in the evolution of the project, and put it in context within the proposed site as well as the community. What will become clear is that the project has zero support from the community, and is neither wanted nor needed. While a few members of Green Knight stubbornly continue to promote it as a benefit to the community - the truth has become crystal clear - it will not be.
Some names mentioned below:
- Jim Hecht - Synagro project manager
- Pam Racey - Synagro project representative
- EarthRes - Synagro's engineering consultant
- Thomas Pullar - EarthRes environmental engineer
- Paul Levitz - Planning Commission member and chairman
- Bob Simpson - Planning Commission member
- Robin Dingle - Planning Commission member
- Terry Kleintop - Planning Commission member
- John Reinhart - Former Superintendent of Bangor and Easton Area School Districts
- Slate Belt Rising - Group whose mission it is to promote economic development in the Slate Belt
- Green Knight Economic Development Corporation - non-profit created solely to sell electricity to the grid, by burning landfill gas from Waste Management's Grand Central Sanitary Landfill. Green Knight's mission is to benefit the needy in Pen Argyl, Wind Gap and Plainfield Township through economic development
- Green Knight Energy Center - burns landfill gas and generates electricity to sell to the grid
- Peter Albanese - Green Knight member and treasurer
- Robert Cornman, Jr - Green Knight member and Vice President, former Planning Commission member
Timeline
1996 USA Waste Services purchases GCSL from Perin family1999 Northampton County Industrial Development Authority begins effort to develop the multi-site (2 or 3-lot) Slate Belt Industrial Park (SBIC) on a 19.3 acre parcel now owned by one company - Techo-Bloc.
- NCIDA will develop each site and reap the financial rewards as well as bring jobs to the area.
3/12/1997 Recreation Trail agreement between Plainfield Township and Grand Central Sanitary Landfill
- Purpose is to allow landfill support operations to be located outside the Solid Waste district on land it also owned.
- Intent is trail will be returned to the township when the landfill closes,according to Chairman Leonard Dell'alba statement in BOS minutes.
- Decision is made by the township to not sell the trail property
- Could be used for future connections to other trails Currently, a study is underway to connect Plainfield Township's trail with Wind Gap and Pen Argyl
3/3/1999 Waste Management attempts to obtain a zoning variance to locate the Energy Center on a portion of Grand Central's land today used as a recycling storage area, outside the Solid Waste zoning district. The Energy Center is permitted only in the Solid Waste zoning district.
- Bob Cornman, Planning Commission member and Green Knight task force member, testifies before the Zoning Hearing Board in support of the variance "because it will benefit the community," even though the planning commission's responsibility it to maintain the zoning ordinance and zoning map.
- Plan is to supply waste heat from the energy center to support new industries that would locate on Nolin Perin's lot on the north side of Rt 512, or on 3 lots proposed for the current Techo-Bloc site.
4/1/2001 click here Waste Management representative states that selling the Energy Center's waste heat "will be gravy" in addition to the income from selling its electricity
- GKEDC member Peter Albanese states the objective is to bring a "high-heat consumer to the SBIC site, and that Green Knight had just started soliciting businesses to locate
5/1/2001 Northampton County Industrial Development Authority, owner of SBIC, states that for 2-1/2 to 3 years they have been unable to find any kind of business that wishes to locate on the SBIC site.
- Yet NCIDA asks County Council to issue a bond, so that a shell building can be built on one site. The profit on that building would pay to build a second, and the same to build the third building.
- NCIDA never identifies a single interested buyer.
- Council refuses to issue the bond.
11/17/2003 The SBIC site is sold to Techo-Bloc. Petrucci had earlier declined to take on the development, as it didn't meet their desired financial profile. Northampton County Council minutes reflect at least one member is grateful for the county to "break even". Green Knight touts this as a great success, though in fact it is mostly a failure as no consumer of Green Knight's waste heat ever appeared, and a private developer ended up making a meager profit on one site instead of the county developing and selling three.
2014 Waste Management procures a use variance to locate a retail natural gas pump on its property despite not meeting several variance requirements, and thus meet the state requirements to obtain $1.6m in grants to convert its trucks to natural gas. This funds an extension of a natural gas pipeline to the Waste Management property.
- Without this improperly granted variance, there would be no natural gas on site and this project could not happen
2015 Synagro begins discussion with Waste Management and DEP about a possible biosolids facility on Waste Management property
2016 Two Green Knights members resign, and express concerns to confidants that the Synagro project will not be good for their businesses. Stephen Ruggiero is a funeral director in Pen Argyl, and John T Dally is a real estate agent. Green Knight seeks business leaders for its membership, and if members resign because of what effects a purported economic development may have on their business... you can finish the thought- DEP instructs Synagro to submit a General Waste Management Permit application for the facility
- An Individual Permit requires a Harms and Benefits analysis, a General Permit does not
- The General Permit application ultimately submitted includes the ability for Synagro to sell its product for use as a fuel (eg cement company)
11/21/2016 Synagro first presents its proposal at a planning commission meeting for site plan review, proposing to locate on the exact same site as the failed proposal to locate the Energy Center.
Synagro's application materials contain a "DO NOT COPY" watermark (Dec 22) - though in the packet is a statement that the public will be involved in all public reviews and the public is not invited
by Synagro to this meeting.
- Robert Cornman, Jr announces that he will recuse himself as a planning commission member since he is representing Green Knight, but participates in the discussion and suggests multiple times from his position on the dais that conditional approval might be possible that evening. Mr. Cornman, Jr is replaced in January on the Planning Commission by a new member
- Mr. Cornman, Jr does not alert planners that Synagro's proposed use is Solid Waste, and that a use variance was denied on March 3, 1999 for a Solid Waste use on this same land because it is not in the Solid Waste zoning district - a zoning hearing at which he was present and testified for Waste Management.
- Synagro's packet contains a statement that sludge will be received from the "Tristate" area.
2/2/2017 Express Times - John Reinhart cautions citizens to remain vigilant and monitor the actions of the group Slate Belt Rising, considering the ties this economic development group may have to those promoting the Synagro project
- Date unknown - Slate Belt Rising asks Waste Management to increase its funding for a project, and Waste Management says it will if SBR endorses the Synagro proposal. Slate Belt Rising declines this "offer"
2/14/2017 Express Times - John Reinhardt's guest column published criticizing Green Knights' participation in the Synagro proposal.
- No one wants more waste brought into the Slate Belt
- Maybe a community somewhere wants human waste trucked into it and processed there, but this is not one
- Green Knights is off base with this project - it will destroy its partnerships and reputation
- This is not what anyone thought Green Knight would think economic development in the Slate Belt would be
- Many of us have lived here for generations. We do not want this project here.
4/2/2017 Lower Mt Bethel Township Board of Supervisors votes to oppose Synagro's proposed plant
4/4/2017 At a Q&A session held by Synagro, Jim Hecht states that trucks would enter and exit the site the same hours as happens at the landfill - 7am to 4pm M-F and 7-9am Sat.
- Synagro was approached by Waste Management
- Jim Hecht can not name one organization that supports the project
- Carlton Snyder states that Green Knight considered "contractual obligations" when choosing to participate in the proposal Did Waste Management leverage Green Knight with a threat to not renew the contract for the energy center - which expired in 2018? See Peter Albanese's comments on 10/25/2018
4/2/2017 Upper Mt Bethel Township Board of Supervisors votes to oppose Synagro's proposed plant
4/18/2017 Wind Gap Borough Council votes to oppose Synagro's proposed plant
6/12/2017 Plainfield Township issues a determination that Synagro's proposed development requires eight zoning variances. This includes two that remain to this day. Synagro has defiantly denied it needs variances and has not filed an application to the Zoning Hearing Board.
8/15/2017 EPA announces that Synagro has signed a consent decree for failure to implement controls of mercury emissions in accordance with tighter EPA standards that went into effect in 2016. Synagro and partner Waterbury CT pay a fine of $104,000 for failure to comply with the updated standards. Synagro stated at multiple planning commission meetings that if new standards are enacted, the public can have confidence that Synagro will implement them. Ha.
11/2017 Synagro announces it will haul its wastewater off site instead of dumping it in the Walz Creek, purportedly to address concerns of citizens The Delaware River Basin Commission would have had to approve a permit for the 80,000 gallons a day that Synagro would produce - this is unlikely to have been approved due to the low volume of flow in the Walz Creek tributary
12/12/2017 Jim Hecht submits a letter confirming that trucks will operate from 7am to 4pm M-F and 7-9am Sat.
2/21/2018 Mr. Hecht states that trucks will enter and exit the site from 6am to 6pm M-Sat.
2/21/2018 Synagro admits that the tarps used to cover the trucks will do not control odors
3/22/2018 Synagro submits an application for an Air Quality permit to DEP, with a false statement at the bottom of page 3 - that Synagro's proposal meets local zoning requirements or has obtained local zoning approvals. Neither of these is true, but John Goodwin in Engineering at Synagro answered this question in the affirmative.
4/4/2018 Pam Racey states truck traffic 6am to 6pm will be "just weekdays... on weekdays", contradicting Jim Hecht. Mr. Hecht reiterates truck traffic will be 6am to 6pm, M-Sat
- Jim Hecht We plan to process biosolids at 84 percent waste heat and liquid gas at 16 percent natural gas.
- Terry Kleintop After the landfill closes in 10 to 12 years, there will be no more revenue for Green Knights. Response from Jim Hecht I have no idea what the contract is between Waste Management and Green Knights is. Green Knight has a contract not with Synagro, but with Waste Management for the pitiful 3.4 cents on the dollar it will receive for its waste heat? Why is Waste Management involved in Green Knights' agreement to sell its waste heat?
- Thomas Puller The water body is not a pond.. It is a non-discharging engineered sedimentation basin.
- Robert Simpson It is just a pond. It infiltrates 100 percent.
- Thomas Pullar It is not. It's a... it's a sedimentation basin.
- Robin Dingle The sedimentation basin infiltrates to groundwater and a lot of wells in the area.
- Jim Hecht We can run this plant profitably on 100% natural gas
- Steve Hurni I just realized something. Synagro doesn't need our waste heat at all.
- As a result of the pollution, Nestle had to drill an interceptor well that diverts over 100,000 gallons a day before it can reach Nestle's production wells. This has continued for years since the pollution was first detected
- DEP must require material to be used for such operations to be thoroughly tested
- Surface and groundwater flows from former quarry pits must be analyzed (hydrogeological analysis) to determine what effects may be experienced down gradient This is what township planners have been requesting for 11 months or more - see 10/8/2018
8/10/2018 Roger Bellas issues a letter stating that a waiver of a Chapter 105 permit will be granted to Synagro for partially filling Sedimentation Basin #2
- Plainfield Township writes a letter 4 days later asking Mr. Bellas to reconsider, which is ignored.
9/11/2018 Plainfield Township appeals Mr. Bellas' 8/10/2018 letter to the Environmental Hearing Board, arguing that the record does not show the proper engineering was done prior to issuing a similar waiver 11 years earlier.
10/8/2018 Robin Dingle and Bob Simpson state that a professional hydrogeologist is needed to determine ground water exchange with the basin.
- Thomas Pullar responds "I will... can present that information." In July 2019, Mr. Pullar stated that EarthRes can not determine how much goes to the Walz and how much to the Little Bushkill Creek. Synagro has still not agreed to do a hydrogeological study of the basin. Mr. Pullar's "information" on flow, depth of the basin, etc consists solely of estimates and projections - not measurement.
- Green Knight just received a 20 year extension of its contract with Waste Management for the Energy Center
- DEP wants more plants like this one. It has become apparent that DEP really "wants" the Synagro plant approved - Plainfield Township Counsel Jack Embick admonished DEP during the August 12, 2019 hearing that it was inappropriate for DEP to have encouraged township officials to approve Synagro's land development plan.
- The sludge is safe - people don't understand this. There is nothing to be afraid of. They test it.
11/7/2018 DEP hearing
- Waste Management program director Roger Bellas states that he knows of no hydrogeological study ever being done on Sedimentation Basin #2
- Mr. Bellas states that he reviewed the engineering that was done to previously grant a Chapter 105 waiver, prior to determining that a waiver would again be granted for Synagro to partially fill the basin
1/28/2019 Environmental Hearing Board dismisses DEP and Waste Management's attempt to have the lawsuit filed 9/11/2018 finding:
- Grand Central's motion provides almost no contextual or background information on its site or the sedimentation basin addressed in the letter.
- Only the township has taken the time to address in even remote detail what it contends is the function and history of Sedimentation Basin No. 2
2/21/2019 Township Environmental Counsel Jack Embick finds that the township has a legal right to require an Environmental Impact Statement, and without one he recommends that the township deny the application
- Mike Brunamonti of BCM engineers, states on behalf of the township that the pond is directly connected with groundwater and therefore it requires additional level of study
5/23/2019 On-site meeting to discuss Sedimentation Basin #2 deficiencies, and Plainfield Township is invited to attend a meeting starting at 11pm
- At 10am, DEP Wilkes-Barre, DEP Harrisburg, Northampton County Conservation District (drafted deficiency list), Synagro, EarthRes, Waste Management convene a meeting that shows Plainfield Township "joining" at 11am, at the conclusion of discussion of deficiencies
- Plainfield Township's consultants including a hydrologist are kept in a room from 11am to 11:20am, at which time they are permitted to join a meeting that unknown to them has been in progress since 10am.
- Several announcements are made after 11:20am, and Plainfield Township is excluded from the primary discussion of Sedimentation Basin #2's deficiencies.
- Roger Bellas states that a Chapter 105 permit will again be issued.
- DEP has no written record of what actually happened at this meeting(s). Nothing will be put in writing until permits are issued.
DEP appears to be more concerned about an appeal being filed of something it puts into print, than protecting a natural resource in the township. It also appears that Mr. Bellas is fully committed to issuing a waiver to fill the pond so that Synagro can operate a biosolids plant - a means to an end and water quality be damned. Ironically, DEP is cracking the whip for municipalities to reduce sediment in runoff through MS4s, yet spreading biosolids on farmland (by far the greatest contributor to sediment) will create more sedimentation.
- A hydrogeological study of the pond is needed
8/12/2019 Nolin Perin -DEP hearing - We have to address our problem - this sludge. Mr. Perin's niece Lisa addressed this issue on 5/31/2018, observing to the contrary that the sludge Synagro will receive is not from the area - consistent with Synagro stating it will be from the "Tristate" area.
9/4/2019 Trudy Johnson of Material Matters - biosolids consultant - submits a draft document titled "Enforcement/Shutdown Provisions Protocol", which includes a schedule of fines for failure to comply. Neither Synagro or the planners are believed to have previously seen this document. It is on pp. 27-28 of the document found here. It should inspire some discussion at Monday evening's meeting, as several planners, Peter Layman for Pen Argy, and citizens have expressed concern that Synagro will attend to issues as they arise - something that has not been found to be a strong suit for Synagro.
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