SAUGUS — The state has indicated that the way things stand now at WIN Waste Innovations on Route 107, Saugus, expansion of the landfill the waste-to-energy plant uses to dispose of ash will not be allowed.
However, both Saugus and WIN officials say that MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg’s letter to Winthrop State Rep. Jeffrey Turco, dated Nov. 17, should not be taken as anything other than what it is: an indication that if conditions which exist now still exist at the time of a possible request to expand (and no such requests have been proposed, company officials say), the state would have to turn WIN down.
In 2008, the state granted a request by WIN (which was then Wheelabrator) to lessen a gradient within the landfill to allow more ash to be deposited. At the same time however, the MassDEP said due to the site assignment, no vertical expansion of the landfill could be permitted.
Suuberg reiterated those points in his letter to Turco,
“On April 9, 2008, MassDEP issued a solid waste major modification permit to WIN Waste, allowing a reduction in the final gradient of the landfill to allow additional disposal capacity while keeping the peak elevation of the landfill at 50 feet above mean sea level established in previous enforceable documents,” Suuberg wrote.
“At that time, during conversations with the operators and community members, MassDEP was clear that additional vertical expansion was beyond the limits of the site assignment,” he said.
In a statement issued Thursday, James Connolly, WIN Waste Innovations Environmental vice president, pointed out that any requests to expand the landfill would be subject to established protocol within the Town of Saugus and the DEP, and not summarily rejected.
“The DEP’s letter concerns procedural steps that any proposal involving expansion would need to follow, including a lengthy review by both the town and state,” he said, “We have no such proposal and are currently focused on working with the landfill committee to explore ways in which we can continue providing environmental and economic benefits to the town.”
Both Reps. Turco and Jessica Giannino of Revere praised the letter as an important step forward in the communities’ battle with WIN.
“I am so excited for this important step forward for environmental justice in the Town of Saugus and City of Revere,” said Gianinno, who took over the seat occupied by RoseLee Vincent, another staunch opponent of the facility. “We have been waiting my whole life for this progress.”
“Environmental justice means nothing to the people of the North Shore so long as the Wheelabrator Saugus ash landfill continues to operate in an (area of critical environmental concern),” Turco said. “Commissioner Suuberg’s letter makes clear that the long-overdue closure of the Saugus ash landfill is on the horizon.”
Anthony Cogliano, chairman of the Saugus Board of Selectmen, doesn’t see it that way. As chairman of the aforementioned landfill committee, he has other concerns.
“I’m not really bothered by the height of the landfill,” Cogliano said. “I think it’s a better alternative than trucking it to some site. That would involve 125,000 tons (of ash) a year, and most of that would go up Route 107 and into Revere.”
The invitation to meet with Suuberg and the MassDEP, after which the letter was drafted, was not extended to Cogliano, he said, even though he chairs the landfill committee.
“I’m still going to meet with the DEP and submit our report to them,” said Cogliano. “My biggest concern isn’t the landfill, but emissions. I want us to put a plan together to benefit Saugus, Revere, and Lynn, by working with (WIN) to try to lower emissions and come up with a host-community agreement.”
