The Reality All across America, a burgeoning multi-million dollar waste management industry targets small rural communities that lack protective zoning. They descend upon the local citizenry armed with a mixed bag of weapons -- manipulation of environmental laws through political influence, enormous financial resources, an intimidating phalanx of lawyers, and the promise of big bucks. They buy, coerce, threaten and bully, seduce and entice, and eventually force their will on the local population. In Pennsylvania, the citizens share an undue burden for the disposal of the nation's waste with the importation of about 11 million tons of out-of-state garbage - more than any other state. One Community's Battle In May, 2000, J.P. Mascaro & Sons, owner of the White Pines Landfill in Pine Township, near Millville in Columbia County, Pennsylvania applied to the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection for a change in permit to receive municipal waste. Because White Pines, capacity exceeded the local county's need for municipal waste disposal by at least 80%, municipal waste would have been imported -- most likely from New York City. The region would have been forced to suffer the hazards of the disposal of millions tons of someone else's garbage. In June, 2001, a citizens group, the Columbia Lycoming Environmental Action Network (C.L.E.A.N.) formed to raise public consciousness about the dangers to the region of an unnecessary municipal waste landfill and to convince the DEP to deny any White Pines, application to expand the landfill site in Pine Township to a municipal waste landfill. Link to page for more information about C.L.E.A.N. Members of C.L.E.A.N. devoted hundreds of hours to informing citizens, organizations and local officials of ramifications of this permit application. Hundreds of hours were spent in researching the compliance history of the applicant, the potential harms of municipal waste, and the flaws in the application and in preparing documentation submitted to DEP in response to White Pines Corp.'s application. On January 30, 2002, DEP announced the denial of White Pines Landfill's permit request. Full text of DEP's news release here Who and What We Are Up Against in Central Pennsylvania Pasquale Mascaro has said he has a "policy of trying to be a good neighbor." You be the judge:
Comments about J.P. Mascaro & Sons by West Virginia Administrative Law Judge: "...arrogance that has apparently inculcated a belief that laws do not apply to them...utter contempt for the communities in which they operate." "So the best forecast of the future ... is the past." -- Pasquale Mascaro J.P. Mascaro and Sons' past includes "reckless" conduct, illegal discharge of leachate, illegal disposal of demolition waste, noxious odor violations, dumping recyclables with municipal trash, and "a pattern of violating the environmental laws in a combination of states of the United States." Please see further information here: A Sampling of Mascaro Noncompliance History What You Can Do
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Page updated 26 February 2004