The public gets a chance Thursday to weigh in on Natural Soil Products’ request to renew the state permit for its biosolids composting operation in Schuylkill County.
The state Dept. of Environmental Protection will hold the hearing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Tremont Borough Municipal Building, 139 Clay St. Representatives from DEP and NSP will be there.
According to DEP, the department scheduled the hearing because members of the public asked for a chance to comment. NSP wants DEP to renew its biosolids composting permit. It is also asking for a minor permit modification that would add compost drying capability using Pads 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the site.
Anyone who wants to testify should send written notice of intent to Maria Tavera Vilchis, Environmental Justice Coordinator for DEP’s Northeast Regional Office, at 4530 Bath Pike, Bethlehem, PA 18017, or by email to mtaveravil@pa.gov. DEP will take requests up until the day of the hearing.
People who sign up ahead of time will get priority on the agenda, but anyone who attends can testify. DEP asks speakers to keep their testimony to five minutes so everyone gets a turn. The department says spoken and written comments carry equal weight.
People with a disability who need an aid, service or other accommodation to testify can email Tavera Vilchis or call the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at 800-654-5984.
Schuylkill County Commissioners have asked DEP to deny the renewal. People living near the facility in Frailey and Porter townships have complained for years about odors they blame on the operation.
Five days after the DEP hearing, NSP goes before the Schuylkill County Zoning Hearing Board at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Schuylkill County Courthouse in Pottsville.
That hearing is on NSP’s appeal of the County’s Aug. 19 order telling the company to apply for zoning permits after the fact. The order covers both the biosolids operation and four buildings the County says went up without permits. The County says the only zoning permit on file for the site is from 1992 and covers leaf and yard waste composting.
In its appeal, NSP says the County has known about its operation since 1997. The company says the County was notified every time NSP applied for state permits and never asked for a zoning permit. As a backup, NSP is asking the board for a special exception, which would allow commercial composting on its two parcels with the board’s approval.
The zoning hearing is also open to the public. Anyone with legal standing, which typically means people directly affected by the decision, such as neighbors, may testify.
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