By Norm Sweeney
I am sorry to witness all of the disagreement this proposed project has generated - good friends versus good friends, husbands versus wives, etc. but like the cyanide plant, chicken farm or Diamond Plastics it will be put to rest eventually with or without the help of the judicial system. Although I do not always agree with their decisions, I do have a lot of faith in the court.
I would like to thank Jean, Barbara and the several other letter writers for their comments and hope that these comments can help bring this concern to some amicable resolution.
I would make several more suggestions to the emotional issue of bringing "California" waste to "Nevada" for disposal. First I believe a man's "property is his Castle" and he should be permitted to do as he pleases with it as long as it does not affect those around him. I am not concerned about possible smell or wind-blown trash, I am concerned about the potential contamination of the aquifer, but feel they have designed an adequate liner system. If others remain concerned about water contamination, a possible solution would be to move the proposed site east to land that is owned by the same company and is located above dry bed-rock and not a water aquifer - this could still be adjacent to the railroad for transportation and could reduce the requirement for what I feel is an overdesigned liner (and yes Jean, I feel requiring an EIS is a good idea but I understand an EIS can be required by federal (BLM or USFS) or state (NDEP, etc.) and not a Planning Commission).
To other letter writers concerned about Recology committing "felony acts" - I understand that Recology is an employee-owned company and feel it is incomprehensible that an employee would commit a felony for little or no gain. I feel it is incomprehensible that an employee would commit a felony for little or no gain. I feel that I run a safety-conscious company however for example we must maintain safety berms (1/2 the height of the largest vehicle wheel in the area) and thousands of feet are required to be inspected by my employees each day. Wind, rain etc. can erode these berms to less than their legal height and subject me to a second violation which is considered an "S and S" (serious and substantial) violation and is potentially a felony.
A further comment about a site location. If an agreement cannot be reached for a location in Humboldt County perhaps it could be moved west to cash-strapped Pershing or Washoe counties on similarly owned land and let their commissioners grapple with the potential problem of spending $1,000,000.00 +/ Year. Those concerned with problems raised by the landfill could spend more time solving the problems of our own unlined Regional Landfill, Winnemucca Sewage Treatment plant with a compromised liner or the several sites on Jungo Road where raw sewage is dumped.
Wishing everyone a safe and prosperous New Year!
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