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Groups don't want toxic chemicals in Clinton Landfill
CLINTON — A group opposed to a permit for storing chemical waste at the Clinton Landfill is expanding its organization efforts. Matt Varble is the president of WATCH (We’re Against Toxic Chemicals), a Clinton-based group seeking to block a permit allowing Area Disposal Service Inc., owners of the landfill, to store chemical waste there. Varble organized the group, which met Thursday night at the Clinton Vespasian Warner Public Library, after the DeWitt County Board amended the landfill host agreement with Area Disposal. While the county doesn’t have the final say, the amendment allowed Area Disposal to seek Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approval. “In order to get our message out, we will need to be organized,” Varble said. “And we need to raise some funds.” At issue is the storage of PCBs, a group of toxic, carcinogenic organic compounds. Such chemicals already are safely and legally being stored there, said Ron Edwards, vice president of Peoria Disposal Co., Area’s parent company. A change in government regulations, however, is forcing the landfill to apply for a new permit to continue to store those materials, he said. The landfill on Clinton’s south side will have an open house at 10 a.m. today to offer the public information about how the chemicals will be transported and stored. County Board members have said they want to hear more information, and they also note the landfill is an important economic asset to the county. “I think we should gather that information from the open house (today) before making any major decisions,” said County Board Chairman Steve Lobb. County Board Finance Chairman Ed Young says that without the revenue from the landfill, the county would be hurt financially. “The owners of the landfill have been very good neighbors over the past several years and we think the agreement we have with them is fair and is beneficial to the county,” Young said. The County Board unanimously approved the host amendment in August but has faced opposition to that vote ever since. Last week, the board voted 6-5 to place a nonbinding referendum on the Feb. 5 ballot to allow DeWitt County residents a say in the matter. “While that’s a step in the right direction, we need to make sure we get the word out that this is not something that belongs in DeWitt County,” Varble said. “We need a public mandate to show the EPA and the DeWitt County Board that we are against having chemicals stored here.” Thursday’s organizational meeting for WATCH attracted about 20 people. Varble said volunteers soon will start an organized letter-writing campaign. Township, precinct and neighborhood teams will be formed to help with the coordination of those efforts. Varble hopes the group can continue to gain strength and raise money for advertising, mailers, signs and bumper stickers. Legal representation may be necessary at some point, he said. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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