Several Rumford Residents Commend City Leaders for Hiring Environmental Attorney

Several Rumford residents commended city leaders Monday night for hiring an environmental attorney to represent them in legal action against the expansion of a waste management company.

The city recently hired Robin Main to represent its interest in a lawsuit that is pending against TLA/Pond View and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

A majority on the previous City Council had pursued the legal action in November. The company is looking to triple the amount of waste it can process per day from 500 to 1,500 tons and has a request for approval for that pending with DEM.

Some residents have long opposed the company's operations, which are next to their neighborhood. The residents say trucks and odor from the plant affect their quality of life and argue that discharge from the plant is harming residents' health.

Former City Solicitor James Briden, who lives in Rumford and filed the lawsuit on behalf of the city, said that DEM has continued to operate as if nothing's wrong despite the many complaints of residents about the facility.

"It is now time for the federal government to take action," he said.

Briden said he believed that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse could be helpful in the effort.

Resident Jo-Ann Durfee said that an environmental attorney from Whitehouse's office had recently visited and observed the conditions in the neighborhood. She said the attorney described TLA/Pond View not as a recycling company, but as a dump.

Durfee also criticized the city for not citing TLA/Pond View for emissions of hydrogen sulfide, which she said can be toxic and cause health problems such as headaches, nausea and chest pain.

"You are all to blame for brushing aside the health and welfare of a community," she said.