Letter: L. Saucon Council Should 'Just Say No' to Landfill

Editor's Note: The following is an open letter to the members of Lower Saucon Township Council.

I am a resident of Lower Saucon Township. Since June of this year, I have attended every scheduled Town Council meeting and Planning Commission meeting. The reason for my attendance has been to voice my strong opposition to any zoning changes or other legislation that might enable the expansion of the IESI landfill in our township. In addition to township meetings, I have attended numerous community meetings on both the east and west sides of our township. These community meetings were attended by between 10 and 100+ citizens in every case, all of which have been vehemently opposed to any landfill expansion. During my attendance at every one of the township meetings, the room has been filled to capacity with citizens specifically there because of the landfill issue. In every case, the vast majority of citizens in attendance are passionately opposed to any zoning changes or expansion of IESI's operation. The Lower Saucon Planning Commission needed to increase the room size of its meeting every month to accommodate the swelling groups of citizens opposed to any zoning change in that area. This is of course not news to you, since most of you attended these planning meetings as either members of the planning commission, observers, or concerned citizens personally opposed to zoning change. Having been at every meeting, it was so very clear that the only people that cared enough to be in attendance were those opposing IESI expansion, and I think that we are all crystal clear that the only outcome of a zoning change will be the eventual expansion of the IESI dump--something that the vast majority of engaged citizens of our township passionately oppose. Our Planning Commission recognized this and after months of research and discussions, suggested to you the Township Council that NO ZONING CHANGES be made. This decision was met with thunderous applause from the township residents. From the perspective of someone who has been there since July it is clear that the citizens and Planning Commission are aligned in their recommendation that IESI planned expansion be stopped right here, and right now. 

During the last Township Council meeting there were a number of experts that commented on IESI's current operations. Every person that was in attendance was likely impacted in a different way by what they heard. Everyone that I spoke with after the meeting disagreed with any reference to garbage dumps being either safe, or reliable, or desirable. The one engineer's explanation of a landfill as being "Jell-O in a Pyrex dish covered with plastic wrap" was nothing short of laughable. It is rotting garbage, and we have no idea what is really going in the bags that are dumped there, and no idea what the real long-term consequences will be to our citizens. If you allow this rezoning, you will be guessing, and guessing with people's quality of living and perhaps their very lives. My interpretation was this. IESI is not a "local business" as they would like our citizens to believe. Its parent company is Canadian. They are not providing some kind of community service to us. What they are doing is trucking thousands of tons of rotting garbage from New York and New Jersey into our township. They are generating many millions of dollars in corporate profits, and they will do anything in their power to make sure that continues. IESI would like us to believe that as a township, our highest and best use is that of a garbage dump. IESI would like us to make instant gratification decisions, for which we will pay dearly for decades to come. 

As the matter now comes back before you the Township Council, there is no doubt that IESI will spend enormous resources in an attempt to generate a "yes vote" from uninformed township citizens who are both uninformed and disengaged. While our community raises funds in $5, $10 and $20 increments to inform our neighbors of the dangers of expansion, IESI simply opens a huge checkbook and spends whatever resources it takes to paint itself as a community resource. The fact that they have a tree on their logo is shameful--they have destroyed every single tree that has stood in their path, and will continue to do so. In their place they will fill the soil with rotting garbage. Then they will move back to Canada or to some other place far from the mess they have created, while our citizens remain to pick up the pieces of their lives. It is clear that our citizens can't compete with a massive multinational corporation that wants to destroy our lifestyle, our investments and our future. They have unlimited resources that our citizens simply don't. We spend our nights and weekends fighting to protect our community, while they use their huge resources to hire attorneys, marketing firms and public relations people that specialize in influencing the masses. We are at a disadvantage to be sure.

The one hope that we do have as citizens of Lower Saucon Township is that we have YOU to protect us. We have YOU, the Lower Saucon Township Council, that stands between our homes and lifestyle, and the expansion of the IESI landfill. You are our elected officials and you have the power to JUST SAY NO. You have the trust and confidence of your citizens to protect them, regardless of how unpopular it might be with multinational companies or those who would harm us. I can't tell you how proud I was of our Township Planning Commission when they voted to suggest for NO ZONING CHANGES. They are dedicated community servants that probably invested hundreds of man-hours in deciding on this NO ZONING recommendation. They were informed and clear in their decision and I applaud their courage and service.

I'm sure that IESI will somehow conjure up a list of people that love the idea of importing rotting garbage into our community. They have the money to do it. I'm sure that you'll receive a few emails from people who are unwilling to attend a township meeting. I'm confident that these will not be people who have toiled nights and weekends for months to understand the real issues and come up with logical conclusions. They will likely be from those who stand to profit directly from the landfill's expansion, those scared by inaccurate claims of exorbitant tax increases, or absentee owners who are current receiving sponsorship funds from IESI for local investment properties. I have a high trust level that you will see the difference between engaged citizens willing to come out in force, and those who take 30 seconds to submit a form letter by email. You are all who stand between us and a very uncertain and unattractive future. 

On behalf of myself and all of the local citizens of Saucon Valley Families Opposed to Landfill Development, I ask you to please concur with the expert recommendation of the Lower Saucon Planning Commission and VOTE NO to any zoning changes in the Applebutter Road area. Everything that I have experienced has proven to me that this is the will of the community, and I plead with you to please take charge and do what's right: VOTE NO. 

Bob Wells, Community Servant Volunteer, Saucon Valley FOLD

Lower Saucon Township