The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has approved the environmental assessment for the proposed expansion of the Phoenix Resources Inc. construction/demolition waste landfill in Duncan Township, PA.
"DEP’s waste management program has conducted a detailed review of the environmental assessment presented for the Phoenix Resources Inc. landfill and it has determined that the benefits of this proposed expansion clearly outweigh the known and potential harms," said Roberet Yowell, DEP’s Northcentral regional manager. "Today’s approval means that the department will proceed with our technical review of the application for expansion of the existing landfill."
Phoenix Resources submitted a permit application in August 2005 to add 66 acres of disposal area to the site that would extend the life of the landfill for another 10 years. During the review of the company’s environmental assessment, DEP received numerous letters from local businesses, watershed groups and municipalities favoring the expansion.
Under state law, the environmental assessment process for landfills requires the applicant to submit a detailed harms/benefits analysis of the potential impact of the proposed facility on public health and safety and the environment. The analysis must describe known and potential harms from the project and a mitigation plan to deal with potential harms, and demonstrate that the public benefits of the project clearly outweigh the known and potential harms.