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Democracy at Work May 7, 2002 |
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House Bill 2280 was read out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation on Wednesday.
This is a classic example of successful consumerism! Ordinary citizens in Ambridge and Harmony Township came together
because they were concerned about the flyash dump being re-opened by the golf
course on Rt 989. They formed HAD-IT
(Harmony Against Dumping -IT). They
read the files, and found that the operator and permit holder had what DEP
called a "substantial record of
non-compliance." Over 27 citations
had not been corrected. There were
traffic control problems, safety problems, air and water pollution problems,
and even title and zoning problems. They convened a first-ever public meeting with DEP on this
issue. They were able to get the Harmony Township Commissioners to
intervene. They were one of the ones
who mentioned to a lady named Pam Caskie that the entire site was zoned in a
non-existent classification. This zoning was corrected. They worked with the Conference of
Consumer Organizations to perfect the re-search and draft the petitions. Good
things happened. The site's Re-permitting applications were turned down in July
1997, January 1999, and April 2001. When a fragment of a re-permitting application was filed in
September 2001, HAD-IT generated over 250 letters of concern. DEP called a
meeting about the process. COCO
joined with a 21-page petition. The application has never even been
completed. It was at this time that COCO began to assert "the doctrine
of finality." The DEP complained of a weakness in their regulations
which allowed applicants to continue applying forever. There was no end. No closure. Representative Susan Laughlin addressed this in House Bill
2280. It applies the "three
strikes-you're out rule." If a permit
holder can't even get the application right on the third try, "he need
not apply again." It brings the
matter to conclusion. The Bill was suggested by COCO, drafted by Susan Laughlin,
staffed through DEP and Legislative Services, and put in the hopper. HAD-IT jumped in, and circulated hundreds
of letters from all over Pennsylvania urging that the Bill be brought to the
floor. No objections were found, so
it happened. If the Bill passes, the matter will finally be finished. The
consumers will have won, and the next issue will be how the landfill gets
closed. This is the way the system is supposed to work! Roger L. Thomas 1143 Carlson Rd. Ambridge, PA 15003 (724) 266-1875 www.oocities.org/Roger_Thomas_edu/ Director of the Conference of Consumer Organizations |