BillHustonBlog: Press Release: DEC Grants Comment Extension for Endicott Pollution License

------ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ------

DEC Grants Comment Extension for Endicott Pollution License
Friday July 22, 2016

ENDICOTT, NY -- Yesterday, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation issued the following statement:

Due to the enhanced public interest in regards to the i3 draft Permit, NYSDEC will hold a Public Information Session and Legislative Hearing along with extending the public comment period. The Department is working on scheduling a date and location but anticipates the Public Information Session and Hearing will be held in mid-September and the public comment period will be extended until the end part of September. Please share this news with others who may not be on this distribution. Once the details are finalized, a formal announcement will be made.

Timothy DiGiulio, P.E., Regional Water Engineer
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 7
P: (315) 426-7500 | tim.digiulio@dec.ny.gov

While Concerned Citizens of Endicott (CCoE) are pleased in this small delay in the rubber-stamping of this permit, we see (and smell) the trucks of toxic landfill leachate are still coming.

"I'll be happy when the trucks stop bringing poisons to a village which is already a TCE contaminated Superfund site", said Mark Bacon, of CCoE.

Bill Huston, also of CCoE adds, "These trucks have been dumping 80,000 gallons of poison per day in Endicott since 2011. This waste was never allowed under i3 Electronics original SPDES permit, but allowed by NYS DEC under a secret pilot program, with no public notice, no hearings, no public participation, and worst of all, NO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW under SEQRA(*)".

(* As far as we can tell. DEC has not yet answered all of our requests for records on this matter.)

This operator is the continuous progeny of IBM, which has left a toxic legacy here, dumping of massive amounts of dangerous chemicals in the ground and groundwater, due to neglect, incompetence, operator error, mechanical failure, and intentional illegal dumping.

THE ISSUE:

Since April, 2011, i3 Electronics in Endicott has been processing 80,000 gallons per day of highly toxic landfill leachate at their treatment facility, and dumping the effluent into the Susquehanna River. This activity was not permitted as part of their original SPDES permit, but was allowed under a secret "Pilot Program". Some of the leachate is highly concentrate "Reverse Osmosis Concentrate" trucked in from 2 hours away from Seneca Meadows, the largest landfill in NY, which takes municipal and industrial waste from 5 states, including NYC.

Concerned Citizens of Endicott / NY Friends of Clean Air and Water have serious concerns about this activity and its impact to the river and Endicott's drinking water. This operator (the progeny of IBM) has a LONG HISTORY of toxic chemical spills due to neglect, equipment failure, and intentional dumping. EIT defaulted on their promise to retain jobs in return for $30M in tax breaks, and over 10 years laid off most of their workforce. They defaulted on their creditors and declared bankruptcy in 2014. There was a spill of at least 17,000 gallons of raw leachate into the storm sewers in Feb 2014 when a valve on a rusty tank broke.

Won't the DEC protect us?

DEC tells us they do not have the staff to investigate every permitted SPDES site. They do not do plant inspections of the physical integrity of the tanks and plumbing. They almost never fine operators for violations. DEC never does independent testing of the effluent; they almost always approve permits (as long as they are filled out right). All chemical analyses is "Self-Reporting"—the Honor System!

What is happening now?

On June 29th, DEC published the availability of a draft SPDES permit renewal with a modification to make the treatment and dumping of the highly toxic leachate "official" and permitted. The original comment period of 30 days has now been extended until late September.

GREAT PRESS!

Vince and Camile of YNN news did a really excellent job at covering the issue here:
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/binghamton/news/2016/07/18/endicott-residents-concerned-over-toxic-leachate-dumping-in-susquehanna-river.html

What can I do?

Please look at the materials we have collected here: TinyURL.com/StopTheStinkTrucks . This includes the permit application, the SEQRA docs released so far, and the draft permit.

We will be holding upcoming educational events, and comment writing workshops. Please keep in touch in one of these ways:

Our low-volume discussion list: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/stop-the-stink-trucks
Facebook pages: Concerned Citizens of Endicott, NY Friends of Clean Air and Water, WBESC.

How to make a comment to the DEC:

CONTACT: Teresa Diehsner: (518)402-9167 DEPPermitting@dec.ny.gov
REFER: SPDES NY#0003808 / i3 Endicott
"Stop the Stink Trucks! No commercial waste dumping in the Village of Endicott!"
Please use the CCoE's list of 16 Demands to guide your comments:

More info: