Lawmakers To Meet On Proposed Waste-To-Fuels Facility

NEW CITY, NY – A proposed waste-to-fuels facility now seeking approvals for construction and operation will be the topic of discussion during the Rockland County Legislature’s Environmental Committee meeting Thursday.

New Planet Energy proposes to build and operate a facility on a 39-acre site in Stony Point, on Holt Drive off of Route 9W. The company says its technology would divert 85 percent of what arrives at its facility away from landfills.

Its potential impacts extend beyond the town.

“This proposed project will have an impact on more than the site in Stony Point,” said Legislator Harriet Cornell. “Consequently, as Chair of the Environmental Committee, I am holding this public meeting to give people throughout Rockland an opportunity to learn about the project, to hear local and regional concerns, to ask questions and to get answers.”

New Planet Energy wants to truck 4,500 tons of municipal solid waste from New York City and Westchester County to the site daily, which would mean 200 trucks going in and out of the site each day, legislative officials said.

The company says most of the waste would be converted into a fuel product or recycled off site; some trash would not fit either category and require disposal in a landfill.

Some residents have raised concerns about the amount of water the facility would use, the odors that would be created by the garbage, and the noise, pollution and traffic that would be caused by the trucks, among other issues.

The session is set for 7: 30 p.m. Thursday in the Legislature’s Chambers in the Allison-Parris County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road in New City.

Cornell and the Environmental Committee members will welcome representatives of No New Energy, an organization that opposes the project, to the meeting. They will make a presentation.

Invitations are also being extended to representatives of New Planet Energy, the Rockland County Departments of Health and Planning, and local community organizations.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is the Lead Agency under the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) act and is requiring the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to evaluate the potential impacts associated with the proposed project. The DEC has declined an invitation to participate in the May 3 meeting.

In addition to the DEIS, several permits are required from the DEC for the construction and operation of the proposed project. Both the DEIS and applications are under review with the DEC.

Once the DEIS is accepted as adequate for public review and all applications are deemed complete, there will be a public notice and comment period, the DEC said.

The DEC will also conduct a public hearing in Stony Point where members of the public can provide written and oral comments on the project, the DEC said.

The company must also obtain a zone change from Stony Point to allow the project to proceed.

PHOTO: Harriet Cornell/ Rockland County Legislature