Author: Erik Johnson

Concord, New Hampshire [Sept. 10, 2021] — More than 100 opponents of a proposed massive landfill adjacent to Forest Lake in Dalton rallied Sept. 10 outside the N.H. Dept. of Environmental Services headquarters demanding regulators deny a wetlands permit for Casella Waste Systems’ “Granite State Landfill.”

The event featured remarks from a 12-year-old girl described as a “life-long fan” of Forest Lake State Park and members of Save Forest Lake, the Conservation Law Foundation, Community Action Works and North Country Alliance for Balanced Change.

In addition, the rally was co-hosted by the NH Sierra Club and attended by scores of folks who traveled from the North Country, the Seacoast and communities in between to have their voices heard.

The rally-goers message was clear: DES must abide by its own regulations and issue a denial of Casella’s wetland application that calls for the destruction of 17 acres of
irreplaceable wetlands, clear-cutting 177 acres of forest and degradation of the Alder Brook stream system that flows into the nearby Ammonoosuc River.

“New Hampshire does not have a landfill capacity crisis but it does have a growing out-of -state trash problem,” said Wayne Morrison, owner of a residence on Forest Lake and NCABC board member.

An estimated 49% of the garbage, construction waste and other solid waste at the proposed Dalton landfill will come from Massachusetts and other New England states, according to DES.

Morrison revealed data from DES records showing the state has sufficient existing landfill capacity and that the Dalton dump is not needed. He also provided statistics warning that 7,000-gallon tanker trucks filled with toxic landfill leachate, including harmful PFAS, will be plying the mountain roads between Dalton and Concord for decades if the landfill is built.

The leachate is “processed” by the Concord wastewater treatment plant and then released into the Merrimack River, the drinking water for many New Hampshire and Massachusetts’ communities.

Seventh-grader Berkley Parenteau of Dalton spoke of her love of Forest Lake and its nearly 80-year-old State Park and the prospect of a landfill on its border.

“If the landfill is built, it could make everything smell terrible,” she said. “That would be no fun at all! It will hurt lots and lots of wildlife – the animals will get sick from all of the toxic chemicals that will end up in the water from the trash.”

Rally speaker Dr. Adam Finkel, a Dalton resident and Clinical Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said locating a landfill in the White Mountains requires trucking waste from over 100 miles away.

“When, in about 20 years, New Hampshire may find it truly needs one more landfill, it should be located MUCH closer to the cities and towns where the waste is generated,” Finkel said. “I estimate there will be about 30 million additional pounds of CO2 released into the air each year just from the trucks that will have to travel an extra 100 miles or more to reach this remote location.

“Casella says their landfill will reduce CO2 emissions; I would dearly love to see any data that would pass the laugh test on this wild claim.”

Also, speakers said DES must rule on the wetlands permit by mid-November and abide by the rules it set when it compelled public comment and convened a public hearing on all three phases of the landfill.

Recently, DES asked Casella to amend its permit application covering only one phase of the massive project. NCABC board president Eliot Wessler said in a news release that the unprecedented action raises red flags over the impartiality of DES.

“DES is segmenting the process, by looking only at the first phase of what is clearly a multi-phase project,” Wessler said. “We would like to give DES the benefit of the doubt, but the only reason we can think of why DES would do this is to make it easier for DES to defy the evidence and public opinion and permit this ill-conceived project.”

NCABC is joining Save Forest Lake, the Conservation Law Foundation, NH Sierra Club, Community Action and many concerned folks at a “DO THE RIGHT THING” rally at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services at its headquarters on Hazen Drive in Concord, N.H.

This is another opportunity for every voice to be heard to encourage DES to deny the wetlands permit which will destroy 17 acres of wetlands, seven vernal pools and forever put Forest Lake and its treasured state park, the Ammonoosuc river and surrounding communities of Whitefield, Dalton, Bethlehem and Littleton at risk for toxic groundwater and air pollution, noise and heavy traffic.

Stop our beautiful North Country from becoming New England’s dump — up to 49% of trash is expected to be imported hundreds of miles from Massachusetts and other states to this location by this landfill company with a long history of local community exploitation and incompetent landfill management.

Where: DES headquarters: 29 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. Park on-site.

When: Friday, Sept. 10 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

What to do/bring: The rally is permitted by the state. Bring signs and as many supporters as you can.

Any change to plans or updates will be posted to this page.

Check out NCABC’s latest news release relative to the DES decision to bypass public comments opposing a wetlands permit for the so-called Granite State Landfill.

Vermont-based landfill company Casella wants to purchase 1900 acres of land and build a massive landfill directly next to Forest Lake State Park and lake in Dalton/Bethlehem. We have been fighting this battle for 2 years – we’ve gained thousands of supporters against this project, including most of the businesses in the Littleton river district, and the towns of Whitefield, Bethlehem, Twin Mountain, Lisbon, Sugar Hill and Dalton itself.

Casella has submitted their wetlands permit to NHDES, and the permit public comment window is open until September 13. YOUR VOICE will make a difference when you write DES and ask them to DENY the permit.

Please send a short e-mail to:
David.a.price@des.nh.gov
stefanie.m.giallongo@des.nh.gov
wetlandsapplicationpubliccomments@des.nh.gov

Reference: NHDES file number: 2020-02239

You may also copy board@northcountryabc.net if you would like us to feature your letter on our page.

In your e-mail, ask DES to DENY the permit due to massive impacts this project will forever have on the region’s environmental health, especially impacted wetlands, the lake, and a cherished state park. Feel free to reference any of the below talking points:

• The applicant – Casella – has not yet adequately demonstrated need for a project of this size and scope, and therefore has no legitimate basis to fill 16.57 acres of wetlands with trash that is up to 49% from out of state
  
• The Alternatives Analysis is flawed on the basis of an inadequate assessment of possible sites in other states who will be supplying trash to New Hampshire
  
• The applicant fails to demonstrate as they stated in their permit application, that “[G]roundwater flow patterns and groundwater levels to adjacent stream and stream systems shall be maintained” in spite of a complete alteration of the surface topography of 137 acres that includes the creation of 30 stormwater detention ponds
  
• The applicant has failed to demonstrate any consideration for indirect impacts that will affect the immediate buffer zones of 8.66 miles of wetland edge, notably chloride contamination from road salt
  
• The applicant fails to adequately evaluate the wetland complexes on the site by using the Federal Highways Method for lumped wetlands of various types and classes, including five vernal pools that are embedded in these grouped areas
  
• The absence of a suitable wetland assessment prevents NHDES from approving an adequate plan for mitigation
  
• The current landowner has a history of wetland violations and misrepresentation of facts, yet no part of the current application to fill and dredge this same property considers past or cumulative impacts to the same

At the Wetlands Permit hearing on July 14 in Whitefield, supporters of the so-called “Granite State Landfill” project mostly made the point that Casella is a good operator of landfills and will safely operate a landfill in Dalton.

We think that Casella is unfit to operate a landfill in Dalton. Casella is responsible for the largest leachate spill in New Hampshire history.

The company notified state regulators in early May that an estimated 154,000 gallons of toxic fluids generated by landfill waste and rainwater spilled due to a malfunction of its leachate containment system. Now, according to a July 21 “letter of deficiency” sent to Casella by New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the circumstances and amount of this spill are under question.

A careful reading of the July 21 DES letter finds the state questions Casella’s spill estimate and suggests the company minimized the scope of the spill. Regulators also disputed Casella’s conclusion that the spill poses “no risk to human health or safety or impact off property.”

“This is an incomplete response and does not include an assessment of “actual or potential hazards to the environment, safety and human health.” NHDES anticipates that such an assessment will include a review of the actual or potential hazards posed by leachate, the possible exposure routes (e.g., inhalation, ingestion, dermal contact) for humans and the environment, and conclude whether an actual or potential hazard was posed to the environment,” regulators write in their July 21 letter to Casella.

A troubled regulatory record

Looking further back, Casella has an unenviable history of violations and fines at its landfills and associated facilities in NH and across the Northeast. There are landfill operators that have much better track records than Casella. This is more than enough reason for DES to refuse to permit another Casella facility in NH.

There’s no indication Casella has learned from its mistakes.

Casella’s follow-up to the leachate spill is to authorize its primary engineering firm to conduct a limited “audit” and soil analysis. That these studies have been done by a firm with strong financial ties to Casella, instead of by an independent firm, should be red-flags for DES. Indeed, the soil analysis did not include testing for the presence of PFAS—Casella didn’t look for PFAS because it wasn’t required to under its NCES permits. Hopefully DES will recognize that a company that does only what it is required to do is not a good bet to operate a dangerous facility.

Casella claims there is no way the Dalton landfill can affect water quality in the area. The spokesperson for the company at the hearing went so far as to say: “Can’t happen”. This hubris should be a red-flag for DES that Casella relies so heavily on faith in its technology and its own competence to operate landfills, that it does not have the corporate culture required to operate a dangerous facility such as a landfill, particularly one in an environmentally sensitive area.

Casella claims to be transparent with DES and the public but it isn’t.

When opponents of the landfill have respectfully asked for information or clarification, they generally get nothing but disrespect. When DES has asked for additional information, it generally gets the bare minimum. DES’ takeaway should be that if it issues permits for the Dalton dump, Casella is likely to be even less forthcoming with information after it gets what it wants.

And Casella has been masterful at pushing out misleading information. Its claim of a waste disposal capacity crisis in NH is not even supported by DES. The only crisis that exists is Casella’s desire for a financial windfall—it desperately needs DES to issue a permit for a landfill big enough so that it can take in trash from all over New England.

Another example is Casella has provided virtually no evidence of diligently looking for alternative sites. Lots of other sites in NH and elsewhere in the Northeast are likely to have much less impacts than the Dalton site. In more candid moments, Casella representatives have admitted that Dalton was chosen because the town seemed like an easy mark, because the landowner was willing to sell on the cheap, and because building in Dalton will save the company a lot of money because it is near to the existing infrastructure associated with its Bethlehem landfill. DES’ takeaway from this should be that it cannot rely on the credibility of Casella.

Casella uses slimeball tactics to get what it wants.

Casella is a very litigious company; it seems to sue at the drop of a hat. It has cost Bethlehem millions to defend itself against suits brought by Casella when Bethlehem was merely trying to fulfill the majority views of its citizens. And it doesn’t stop there—Casella’s litigiousness has cost opponents of the Dalton landfill tens of thousands to defend against totally frivolous defamation suits. The lesson for DES is that Casella is likely to sue DES if it rejects the permits, and even if it approves the permits if DES challenges Casella on its operations.

Another example is Casella’s bullying of Bethlehem, and now Dalton. Casella’s dealings with the Dalton Conservation Commission are shameful—it was eager to deal with the Commission when it included two members with a direct financial interest in the project, but now that those two members have been replaced by members without conflicts of interest, Casella refuses to honor the reasonable requests of the Commission. Casella has also bullied the Dalton Select Board by refusing to engage with the Board about zoning, saying it will only talk with the Board about how much money Casella is willing to offer the town. The lesson for DES is that it should not be ramming a company’s project down the throat of a town that does not trust the company or want the project.

(This posting is based on a July 19, 2021 letter to the editor submitted by North Country Alliance for Balanced Change Board of Directors President Eliot Wessler.)

UPDATE (July 20, 2021) – Boston Globe environmental reporter David Abel’s front page in-depth coverage today of the North Country’s fight against the Dalton mega-dump that includes rally coverage.

More than 200 North Country conservationists, town officials and regular folks from across the region rallied Wednesday, July 14 at White Mountain Regional High School demanding New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Wetlands Bureau officials deny a wetland permit sought by Casella Waste Systems Inc. for a 180-acre landfill in Dalton.

The rally kicked off a six-hour “listening tour” hearing by DES that featured over 60 speakers who made the case for denial of the wetland permit seeking permission to fill 17 acres of wetlands, five vernal pools and disrupt and endanger water quality in the Alder
Brook stream system and the Ammonoosuc River.

Nearly all of the 65 speakers who gave testimony at the DES hearing urged denial of the wetland permit for the proposed dump. An important lesson for DES and New Hampshire leaders who value conservation voters and their opinions.

Review of the permit by NCABC environmental scientists reveal the project will have seven times the negative impact on wetlands posed by the failed Northern Pass project.

The project is opposed by the Dalton, Littleton, Lisbon and Bethlehem Conservation Commissions in addition to the Ammonoosuc River Local Advisory Committee.

The rally and hearing drew coverage by NHPR, InDepthNH, NH Bulletin and The Caledonian Record and the Union Leader of Manchester.

NH DES Wetlands Bureau sets July 14 hearing on Dalton dump wetland permit

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We need testimony at the DES public hearing to protect our state park from an abutting dump.

You can attend in person (preferred), remote via WebEx, or send written comments.

Date: July 14, 2021 at 3 p.m.
Location: White Mountains Regional HS, Whitefield, NH

This hearing and pending decision will have a profound impact on the future of the North Country for generations to come as the landfill company has access to 1900+ acres.

We are requesting that all of our supporters be in attendance and give testimony to the devastating impact on the environment, economy, property values and our way of life.

DES will allow you to speak, even if you did not pre-register, you’ll just be at the back of the line.  Sign up at the door.

You can still EMAIL comments to NHDES Wetlands Bureau until August 13, 2021.

PLEASE remind DES officials about their mission statement:   “to protect, maintain and enhance the environmental quality in New Hampshire through the powers set forth in RSA 482-A to regulate impacts to those areas “wherever the tide ebbs and flows” or “freshwater flows or stands.” 

For more information on how to submit comments: Check out this NH DES News Release  on the Dalton landfill wetland hearing.

Dear Senators and Representatives,

On behalf of all of us at North Country Alliance for Balanced Change (NCABC), we want to extend our appreciation, our gratitude and sincere thanks for your amazing energy, effort and commitment in support of HB 177. Despite the bill’s simplicity and common sense approach to protecting all of NH’s 68 State Parks from potential encroachment from new landfill development, we knew from the beginning that this was going to be a difficult uphill battle.

Regardless of the results of the recent SB 103 Committee of Conference vote, we are encouraged that our collective efforts have dramatically raised public awareness, forged strong bonds across a growing network of grassroot and environmental organizations, engaged debate and garnered bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate and laid the groundwork for successful passage in the next legislative session.

Continue reading “Thank you Senators and Representatives”

Please take a moment, take a deep breath and step back from your busy legislative agenda.

We have so much to be proud of in our great state: Sixty-eight remarkable State Parks, mountains, lakes, rivers, hiking trails and open spaces that draw tourists from all over the state, across the country and around the world.

We need your help NOW to protect those very assets. 

Please “Put NH’s Interests First” and act in a bipartisan way to Pass HB 177.

HB 177 will not solve all our solid waste management challenges, it isn’t intended to, but it will protect our irreplaceable and invaluable 68 State Parks while we work on the broader set of issues.

We need your courage, your vision and your leadership to stand up for what makes NH the truly great state that it is. 

Thank you for your service and commitment to to New Hampshire.

TOP 10 REASONS TO SUPPORT AND PASS HB 177 (Providing a 2 mile buffer protecting State Parks from any new landfill development)

10. State Parks and landfills are incompatible land uses and need to be kept separate
 9. There is no landfill capacity issue….there is no landfill capacity issue….there is no landfill capacity issue
 8.  Private Developers want to bury 49% of “out of state” trash next to our NH mountains, lakes and State Parks – you should be as outraged as your voters are and stop this despicable practice
 7. State Parks are the engine behind our booming outdoor recreation economy and the lifeblood of the thousands of NH small businesses that benefit from them
 6. NHDES landfill siting regulations are inadequate and need legislative action (a 100 foot setback between a State Park and a landfill is ridiculously ineffective)
 5. “State of the Art” landfill technology is not enough to protect our State Parks – 154,000 gallons of poisonous leachate liquid was spilled earlier this month at the NCES landfill in Bethlehem close to the  Ammonoosuc River, according to the NH DES.
 4. NH does not need a new “greenfield” landfill development – for-profit, out of state developers do
 3. Passing HB 177 will protect some of NH’s greatest assets for future generations of residents and tourists at NO COST to taxpayers
 2. Eleven other states have already enacted similar legislation in recognition that protecting precious State Parks and limited natural resources requires conscious preventative action 
 1. It’s really not that complicated – landfills should not be sited next to State Parks!

Continue reading “Dear Senators,”

“As a former Chair of the NH State Parks System Advisory Council, I personally am well aware of the critical role our state parks play in New Hampshire’s economy, environment, and quality of life.

Prohibiting the siting of landfills in close proximity to these natural and recreational resource gems seems only common sense. The obvious incompatibility of large-scale waste disposal activity with the purposes of our state parks, to say nothing of the potential for degradation of natural and recreational resources as well as the visitor experience, underscores the need for HB 177.

These lands are held by the State in the public trust, and the unsuitability of solid waste disposal facilities nearby these lands cannot be overstated.” Susan Arnold, Appalachian Mountain Club.

“Think of your favorite state park… and attempting to swim, hike, boat, walk, camp, or fish while exposed to foul odors, scavenger birds, feces in waterbodies, noise cannons, blowing dust, trash, and heavy truck traffic. Consider our profitable tourism industry that supports hundreds of jobs.

Common sense dictates New Hampshire must not allow dumps beside state parks. DES cannot protect state parks from landfill developers, but HB 177 can. Let’s put New Hampshire first. State parks are our heritage and legacy.” Nancy Carbonneau Morrison, Mont Vernon.

“It seems to me that our State Parks are a critical ingredient in the secret sauce of our tourism industry. They are as much a part of the “New Hampshire Advantage” as no sales or income tax…If we place a landfill next to your State Park, what do you think it will look like in 30 years?” Rep. Andrew Bouldin (D-Manchester).

“One of New Hampshire’s distinguishing traits is the State’s deep natural beauty. This landscape, especially the forests and lakes, contributes to the environmental and economic health and well-being we enjoy. The protection and conservation of these open spaces is the result of a diverse partnership of public agencies. non-profit organizations and private citizens. We view the intent behind HB 177 as part of the State’s responsibility to steward these natural resources for the long-term public good of all the residents of New Hampshire.” Matt Leahy, Society for the Protection of NH Forests.

“Our 68 state parks are a major driver for New Hampshire’s economy and tourism industry.

Creating the distance of two miles between a state park and a landfill is a reasonable compromise that balances the protection of New Hampshire state parks with the property rights of adjacent landowners.” Patricia Kellog, Littleton.

House Bill 177 states that “No new landfill shall be constructed near a State Park”, and directly protects 68 state parks in NH, including our own local Forest Lake State Park. This is something we can fully support as a business that strives for ecological sustainability.” Ed King, manager of Littleton Food Coop.

“If landfills are permitted to be constructed and operated within two miles of state parks, visitors to those parks can be expected to endure negative impacts, including noxious odors, airborne dust and debris, and increased noise pollution.

An increased amount of truck traffic will service the landfill, with the associated air pollution and traffic impacts reaching well beyond the immediate vicinity of the landfill. Depending on the size of the landfill, upwards of one hundred trucks per day can be expected. In some instances, landfills may even be visible from state parks, greatly reducing the natural viewsheds that are essential to experiencing and enjoying state parks.” Peter Blair, Conservation Law Foundation.

“The NH Sierra Club strongly supports HB177. In talking with many of our supporters we have found unprecedented support for HB177. In fact, we have not heard a single dissenting voice. Like all states, New Hampshire has a trash problem, but it is not dire enough that we need to make every acre in the State available for landfills.” Jerry Curran, NH Sierra Club.

“New Hampshire HB 177 prohibits new landfills from being located within two miles of a state park. The damage that will be done if this bill does not pass is immeasurable. Passage of HB 177 would protect our state parks in ways no current regulation does. This has become an urgent issue.” Cynthia Barrett, Milford.

“A landfill’s odors, waters fouled with the feces of scavenger birds, steady noise, blowing dust and trash from heavy truck traffic would be ruinous for any park. This commonsense bill is an assertion of our right as New Hampshire citizens to Put New Hampshire First — to create a 2-mile buffer around our parks for the public good. State parks are forever. Please protect them forever.” Ralph Akins, former NH State Representative, former mayor, City of Lebanon.

“Our members and supporters live and work near a proposed landfill near Forest Lake State Park and the Ammonoosuc River. We are opposed to the landfill.” NH Audubon Ammonoosuc River Chapter President David Govatski.