Pennsylvania’s Dept. of Envrionmental Protection says it’ll host a public meeting next month to address concerns with five companies that have drawn vocal concern with people of western Schuylkill County in recent years.
This meeting will be held at Tremont Municipal Building on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 6-9 p.m. The building is located at 139 Clay St. in Tremont.
Five companies will be the focus of the meeting: Natural Soil Products, Liberty Soils, Summit Anthracite (Stavola), Rausch Creek, and CES Landfill.
NSP, in particular, has drawn the ire of western Schuylkill County residents for several years. And it’s gotten the attention of DEP as well.
The biosolids processor was fined last year for continual noxious odors believed to be emanating from its facility in Frailey Township. In September, the company was hit with a Notice of Violation by DEP, which cited numerous days in August when putrid odors were noticed in the area of its facility.
Late last year, the company installed a filtration system to mitigate these odors but neighbors of it say it’s done little to control the smells.
DEP officials promise to be at next month’s meeting to answer questions from the public. The department says the companies, how they operate, the department’s permitting process and the use of biosolids are all topics up for discussion at the Nov. 14 gathering. Other questions from the public will also be answered, DEP says.
To ask a question and get it priority, questions should be submitted ahead of time. Questions should be submitted via email to Maria Ocasio, Environmental Justice Coordinator at DEP. Her email is mocasio@pa.gov.
Those wishing to use snail mail to submit questions can send them to DEP’s Bethlehem District Office, 4530 Bath Pike, Bethlehem, PA 18017.
Questions will be accepted up until the day of the meeting.
At the meeting, each person will be able to ask two questions plus a follow-up question. If time allows, people who’ve submitted questions in advance can ask another question. People who pre-register and submit questions ahead of time will be given priority at the meeting.
Pre-registration will also be held at the meeting site prior to it starting.
For people with a disability wishing to ask a question but need an auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodation, they should contact Colleen Connolly at 570-826-2511 or use the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service by calling 800-654-5984.
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