DEM Gives Recycling Company OK to Expand
A vice president for TLA/Pond View said Monday afternoon that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management had granted permission for the expansion.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management granted permission Monday for a controversial East Providence recycling company to expand operations, a company vice president said Monday.
Despite vocal opposition from nearby residents, the new license will allow TLA/Pond View to process 1,500 tons of waste per day, up from its previous allotment of 500 tons.
Neighboring residents in Rumford have long opposed the expansion and operational practices of the facility, citing health and environmental dangers they say are related to the Dexter Road site. Residents have engaged in and supported several community protests, along with city and statewide legislative initiatives to deny the Pond View expansion.
Jack Walsh, regional vice president for TLA/Pond View, released the following statement:
"On behalf of TLA-Pondview and its employees, I want to express my sincere appreciation to Director Coit and the engineering, regulatory and legal staff at RIDEM for the time and work that they put into reviewing Pondview's license application. The Director's decision to issue this new license recognizes the important service that Pondview Recycling provides to Rhode Island in the waste and recycling business. Pondview values the role that it plays in reducing the volume of waste that ends up in America’s and Rhode Island's landfills and is proud of its record of environmental compliance over the past 13 years. As a contributing member of the East Providence community, Pondview Recycling has worked hard to be a good neighbor and we will continue to work with both its residential and industrial neighbors in an open and accessible way to address and resolve any and all community concerns."
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Chris Sheehy
3:41 pm on Monday, May 2, 2011
To all the politicians who didn't stop this - don't come smiling and knocking on my door looking for re-election.
Rumford Resident
4:25 pm on Monday, May 2, 2011
Very sad indeed.
EP is an 'All American City?'
Can't wait for the walk through this weekend by Rogers, et al. Equivalent to a Red Cross sanitized visit to a concentration camp.
But this is only the beginning. Chaffee and his DEM may have let us down. Lets see what the EPA and other non-RI political organizations will do for us.....
SL
7:25 am on Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Why doesn't the neighbor coalition have and outside company run a environmental test,so once and for all we know if anything hazard is polluting our air. Everyone spends all their time on assumptions and no credible evidence. If this case were to come before a judge he would dismiss it. Stop listening to the folks that want to shut the facility down,they do not have your best interest it appears they have personal agendas in mind. If you care about the children of the area demand a test.