PA DEP takes cover in extending waiver granted in 2008 to Waste Management to Synagro at planned biosolids site - Plainfield Township pushes back

A few years after the Green Knight Energy Center was built, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (a misnomer) approved the partial filling of the former Doney Quarry #2 near the energy center.  This quarry was originally a few hundred feet deep, and is connected to a ground water aquifer.  Within a few hundred feet are the Waltz Creek and the headwaters of the Little Bushkill Creek.

In issuing this approval in 2008, DEP granted a waiver of permit requirements under Chapter 105.12(a)(6) - which addresses obstructing stormwater facilities and sedimentation basins that meet the requirements of Chapter 102.  Now, DEP is planning to extend the same waiver for Synagro to allow it to further fill the basin in order to create space for a parking lot and maneuvering area, under the guise of "we did it before."  Here is a letter sent from Roger Bellas of the DEP to Synagro/Waste Management on this subject:

DEP Letter to Synagro/Waste Management in regards to sedimentation basin on Scribd

Note that attached to the Bellas letter is an email in which Synagro engineer EarthRes mentions open space requirements as well as refers to the water body as a basin that was originally "engineered".  Synagro is attempting to argue the basin is just a stormwater feature and that (local) open space requirements do not apply.  In response, Bellas's letter parrots that "engineering" was done back in 2008, and as a result again the basin will be exempt a permit under Chapter 105.12(a)(6).  What if Bellas is taking the Applicant word for it here?  The DEP is overworked and understaffed - could Bellas have drafted this letter, signed off, and headed out for a two hour lunch?  But DEP does find that the basin a "regulated water body" (not just a detention basin, which would not be regulated) and states that Chapter 105 otherwise applies.  DEP is not in a position to preempt Plainfield Township's buffer requirements adjacent to ponds, which is what the former quarry now is.

Plainfield Township is requiring a zoning variance, since there is a 50' setback requirement from water bodies.  But Plainfield Township is further concerned about the fact that the pond is connected to the aquifer, and that there may be other considerations (wetlands, etc) that should be taken into consideration in determining if a DEP permit should in fact be required under Chapter 105.  The township's wetlands consultant issued a report found at the bottom of this blog post.  Here is a letter sent by the township to Mr. Bellas at DEP following his communication to Synagro/Waste Management, which does not mention the consultant's report but incorporates its findings:

Letter to PA DEP from Plainfield Twp re: Synagro proposed biosolids plant near pond on Scribd

The township is essentially challenging the DEP's voracity in its determination that the proposed activities are exempt from a permit, and that "engineering" was done in 2008.  Is this based on EarthRes' claim in its letter that engineering was done?  What if DEP just granted the waiver in 2008, without doing its homework?  This would not be unheard of, and DEP has made other errors in allowing quarries to be filled.

Notable errors PA DEP has made in permitting filling of other quarries local to Synagro site

In 2011, the DEP issued a permit that allowed a quarry near Nestle Deer Park's wells in Washington Township, Northampton County to be filled, and this process contaminated the water drawn from Nestle's wells.  DEP then withdrew said permit.  To this day, Nestle operates an "interceptor well" that diverts water from the aquifer flowing from this quarry towards Nestle's production wells.  Here is the DRBC approval for the interceptor well (see underlined text on page 3):

DRBC permit for Nestle Deer Park's interceptor well to reduce groundwater pollution at its Bangor PA facili... on Scribd

In about 2000, DEP approved the Buzzi Unicem quarry to be mined to an additional 50' of depth.  Within a few years, sinkholes began developing along the Bushkill Creek.  A few houses were swallowed/destroyed, as well as the bridge connecting Stockertown and Tatamy, which will not be replaced - partly because no one has a clue how to do it with Swiss Cheese for ground.  Sinkholes have spread as far as 2 miles downstream.  Two bridges on Route 33 over the creek were replaced at a cost of millions of dollars, and at least one of the "new" bridges is sinking and will need to be replaced.  Yeah - DEP is on top of it, and we're all underneath getting pounded.

The basis for what the township is requesting of DEP

The township references a section of Chapter 105.12(a) that provides for permits to be required in cases where threats to life, health, property or the environment are present, even though a project may be eligible for a waiver.  This request may result in DEP agreeing a jurisdictional determination is required, starting the ball rolling to real evaluations of the pond, its surrounding area, and interaction with the aquifer.

What could happen if DEP simply ignores Plainfield's request, and follows through in not requiring a permit under Chapter 105, and a permit is issued by DEP for the landfill modification that adds Synagro's use?   Plainfield and/or the Delaware Riverkeeper could appeal that issuance to the PA Environmental Hearing Board, if they believe the DEP's decisions are not based on sound analysis.

The swords are out.  DEP is taking the side of big money.  There will be a public hearing held locally by DEP, to allow citizens to give their input on this project.  This should occur within the next few months.  If DEP has not altered its position on this issue prior to the hearing, citizens need to add their voices to that of the township.  Protect our water.  You know, you are responsible for environmental protection.  Duh!

How Synagro's proposed biosolids crap bakery in Plainfield Township could more than double in size overnight

Synagro is having fits trying to wedge itself into a postage-stamp sized piece of property in Plainfield Township, Northampton County PA.  It proposes to process 400 tons of shit a day, within about 20 feet of a deep pond that is connected to a ground aquifer.  Also within a few hundred feet of the site are two high quality creeks, the Little Bushkill and Waltz.

As bad as this sounds, it is the flurry before the real shit storm strikes - the knockout blow.  When the landfill closes, within a few years the landfill gas coming from the landfill will no longer be sufficient to operate the Green Knight Energy Center.  At that time, the energy center can be torn down, creating more room to store and process shit.

In the "Lease Plan" (below), Synagro will use 7.8 acres, the energy center 3.2 acres and common areas between them 1.05 acres.  That is just over 12 acres.  12.05 to be exact.

Future expansion possibilities

As Synagro project manager James Hecht has admitted and Green Knight board member Steven Hurni has stated, Synagro does not need the energy center's waste energy - which will no longer be available in about 11 years.  The "green" aspect of this proposal has been soundly debunked.  The real green is decades of income off shit, perhaps a century of shit.  Plainfield Township, Wind Gap and Pen Argyl will become the tri-shitty capital of northeastern PA.

Plainfield Township's zoning ordinance requires 3 acres to run a shit factory up to 300 tons capacity a year, and 2 acres for each additional 100 tons.  A little math shows that a 12 acre site will allow up to 850 tons a day to be processed.  1.7 million pounds of shit a day.

 What could possibly be worse than this?

¡Ay, caramba!

If they can't get approval for the current application because the limited space and proximity to the pond suck ass, Synagro and Waste Management may become desperate and plow down the energy center now.  Public relations wise, not the best move, but Waste Management and Synagro each have a history of giving a flying frig about public relations.  What would the community lose?  One job at the most at the energy center, and Green Knights is doing virtually nothing for the "poor and distressed local citizens" as it is - they aren't fulfilling their mission.  A few contractors who are on Green Knights will lose potential business, but casualties are to be expected and Waste Management will likely not hesitate to toss the Green Knights under the bus.  Most people see the Green Knights as just a department under Waste Management anyway.

Clearly, worst case is when the landfill closes, Waste Management truck traffic will shift from hauling garbage to hauling more shit.  The writing is on the wall.

Enjoy your Labor Day ;)

Green Knight Economic Development Corporation member observes "Synagro Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center doesn't need our waste heat"

The Green Knight Energy Center (GKEC) on Waste Management property in Plainfield Township burns landfill gas captured from the landfill, and sells electricity to the electric company.  To do this, the non-profit Green Knight Economic Development Corporation (GKEDC) had to be created, and ostensibly its mission is to:

"provide economic relief for poor and distressed local citizens"

The GKEDC has strayed from its mission, as we have seen.  Today, the emphasis appears to be on developing projects that some GKEDC board members can benefit from financially, and benefiting the poor and distressed local citizens is playing a distant secondary priority.

Enter the deceptively and poorly titled Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center.  As Synagro and Waste Management's yarn goes, the waste heat from GKEC "which was always planned to be used" will be used to dry shit in the Synagro baked goods plant, and this is great for the environment.  The truth is it was never planned to erect a crap bakery employing 12 people right next to the energy center - the original concept of nearby businesses using the waste heat on three lots supplying good jobs along Route 512 was destined for rapid failure and has been replaced by Waste Management's goal to make its landfill profitable for several decades after it closes, and GKEDC is playing along with the ruse.  Waste energy is not what will be used to fuel the ovens churning out dried shit 24 hours a day, and both Synagro and Waste Management know it.  So does at least one Green Knight member.

Synagro public relations depiction makes processing shit look playful,
like making sand castles at the shore

Synagro paid some firm to make cute graphics with trucks chock full of shit trundling over the countryside, delivering poop to the bakery, and trucks chock full of shit departing for fields lined with fluffy trees.  The truth is, the trucks of shit aren't coming in from local suppliers - rather they are coming off concrete and asphalt highways of hell from Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, offloading crap here that those states don't want.  The same arteries delivering countless loads of toxic fill from the same states to fill quarries near your home and mine.  We'll take a look at DEP's role in the next installment.  Don't expect much from those useless assholes.  Deep pockets are the ticket to success with the DEP.

Trucks heading out will be delivering their precious cargo to local communities that don't want any part of biosolids application.  Yes, a shitstorm may be headed to your town in Schuylkill County, Carbon County, Monroe County, Lehigh County, Northampton, and points outward.  Ever seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

"I feel a powerful force in my ass, and it's the good stuff"

Following the July Plainfield Township Planning Commission review of Synagro's land development plan, Plainfield Township supervisor and GKEDC member Steven Hurni was chatting with another township supervisor and a resident, and this blogger has confirmed that he made the following observations:

• Synagro doesn't need our waste heat at all
• The waste heat is being used as an excuse
• They are spending a heck of a lot of money sending lawyers and consultants to these meetings - they want this very badly

Mr. Hurni has seen the light - will it spread to the rest of the Green Knights?

Mr. Hurni is an intelligent man, and he has been seen regularly at the continuum of Synagro site plan and land development reviews.  He was in attendance at the previous meeting in May, when Synagro project manager Jim Hecht acknowledged that Synagro could operate its plant profitably on natural gas alone - which is available at the site.  This was the meeting at which Lisa Perin, a relative of the creator of the landfill, stated that once Synagro is "in" they will never leave.  That after the landfill closes, "they will find another source of energy."  What Ms. Perin did not realize is that source is there today - natural gas, and it is the only reason Synagro is obsessed with this site.  At this same meeting, Synagro saleswoman and airhead Pam Racey bragged about her 30 years of experience, and proceeded to make multiple misstatements of fact.  One of them was that this is a "green project that is good for the environment".  The only green stands to be in your company's coffers, Pam.  It's shit brown for the Slate Belt and beyond.  The "distressed" citizens Green Knight purports to assist will be even more distressed.  Perhaps Mr. Hurni was previously blinded by the state of euphoric crapulence that seems to have overcome the rest of the members of Green Knights - but his eyes have been opened.

Synagro has stated it will be capable of running on multiple sources of energy - waste energy, landfill gas, and natural gas.  Landfill gas is only about 50% methane - this is another ruse.  Why use crappy sources of energy when you can run more efficiently and profitably off of the good stuff - natural gas?  

Mr. Hurni is on the scent, and it appears he is realizing something smells odd and it isn't shit.  Synagro, Waste Management and Green Knights have all participated in trying to pull the wool over the Slate Belt's eyes.  Synagro has not acted in good faith - it is wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on an application that it has known for a year requires zoning variances.  Any other company would apply for the variances.  Not Synagro - it is applying for PA DEP permits, paying a stenographer to record all planning commission meetings, running a full court press visiting towns singing the praises of shit to anyone who will listen.  Meanwhile, its engineer is acting like everything is in order, when he knows it isn't.  He admitted on May 31, 2018 that Synagro is developing inside the boundary of the pond on site, yet in August 2018 he filed a report stating that Synagro is maintaining at least a 50' setback from the existing pond in a "compliance"report.  You just could not make this shit up.