TLA/Pond View License Suspension Would 'Cease Operations Immediately'

When it comes to , East Providence greenies mean business.

Members of the East Providence Coalition, a dedicated to environmental causes, met with Department of Environmental Management (DEM) officials to discuss a - and what that means for surrounding neighborhoods immediate future, according to a press release from Toxics Action Center.   

According to DEM's Assistant Director Terry Gray and legal counsel Richard Bianculli, rather than bringing the facility's operations down to 500 tons per day (the daily tonnage allowed under their previous license) or down to 150 tons per day (the tonnage allowed under their local zoning variance), a suspension would cease their operations immediately.

“It’s just like if your driver’s license is taken away,” wrote Taryn Hallweaver of Toxics Action Center in an e-mail. “The cop’s not going to tell you, ‘You can keep driving, just don’t go any faster than twenty-five miles per hour.’  If your driver’s license is taken away, you can’t get behind the wheel at all.”

Ultimately, this is an issue that is likely to end up in Superior Court, acccording to Hallweaver. Residents are urging city officials to ask for an expedited hearing. 

“While this drags on and on in the courts, hundreds of families are still suffering every day from the pollution and odor coming from TLA/Pond View,” said East Providence Coalition member Jo-Ann Durfee. 

Toxics Action Center is a New England-wide, environmental and public health nonprofit that works with residents to clean up and prevent pollution in their communities.