Elcon Has Canceled Falls Twp. Plant Plans

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA — Elcon, the company that had planned a chemical and pharmaceutical waste treatment plant in Falls Township, has officially abandoned those plans.

In a letter Friday to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the company said it "has decided not to proceed with its proposed project in Falls Township."

The Israeli company was looking to build on a 23-acre parcel of land on the former site of U.S. Steel at the Keystone Industrial Port Complex. The proposed plant would have treated up to 193,000 tons of hazardous and pharmaceutical waste per year.

"The current business climate, including the impacts of COVID-19, has forced Elcon to re-evaluate its plans for expanding its hazardous waste treatment business into the United States," reads the letter, which was provided to Patch by a department spokeswoman. "Elcon feels confident that it could obtain the approvals necessary to operate the proposed facility, and that the proposed facility would have provided an environmentally sustainable solution for treating liquid hazardous waste."

A Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman said the department will stop reviewing Elcon's applications to the state and expect an official withdrawal of those applications soon.

In a social media post Friday, state Rep. Perry Warren had broken the news of the letter.

Neighbors and environmental groups fought the plans, citing concerns over air and water pollution. And Falls supervisors voted unanimously against the plan on April 30, 2019. Last June, Elcon appealed that vote in court, calling the supervisors' decision "arbitrary, capricious" and "an abuse of discretion."

The letter said Elcon also will be withdrawing its legal appeal.

"On behalf of the Falls Township Board of Supervisors, I am pleased with Elcon's decision to withdraw its application," board Chairman Jeff Dence said Friday. "This plan was not a good fit for our community, which is why our board unanimously rejected the application last year."