Stop The DeKalb Co. Mega-Dump

No Mega-Dump in DeKalb Co. Illinois

Spring 2012 Updates

Apr 11

Posted by GracenMac in Meeting notices | No Comments

No Mega-DumpThe Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump citizen’s group had several meetings recently to give updates on the appeal process as well as our fundraising efforts. The group is planning fund raising possibilities to cover the legal fees involved with the appeal process.

Attached here is a copy of the Brief that was filed by our lawyer on our behalf in the Second District Appellate Court in January.  We were previously told to expect oral argument on the appeal by early summer and a decision by the fall. An extension recently granted to the Illinois Attorney General’s office has delayed oral arguments likely until 2013.

Two NIU students have been working on a documentary about the Stop the Mega-Dump effort. Many of our members have been interviewed over the past couple of months. The release of the documentary will be on May 5th on the campus of NIU. Details will be forthcoming.

New fundraising efforts for 2012 will include obtaining a PayPal account to make online donations easier, letters to the editor and putting ‘Donation Jars’ in key locations. Scheduled showings of the documentary mentioned above will also be scheduled to keep up awareness of our efforts to stop the huge (16 additional counties including Cook) expansion of the DeKalb County landfill.

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Electricity from Garbage Comes to Northern Illinois

Nov 8

Posted by admin in DeKalb County Board, Recycling, waste management | No Comments

By Dan Kenney

Chair of the Stop the Mega-Dump Committee

            During the public hearings with Waste Management and DeKalb County more than once citizens asked, what about capturing the methane and using it to produce energy. Waste Management’s response was that it was not cost effective at our County landfill. This is not the case just a few miles North of DeKalb outside of Davis Junction at the Orchard Hills Landfill.

Hoosier Energy, a rural electric cooperative based in Bloomington Ind. has applied for a construction permit from the Illinois EPA. Hoosier Energy plans to build a $37 million plant to convert methane gas from the landfill into electricity.

When methane is converted into electricity a tremendous amount of heat is also produced in the process. That heat could be used by a factory, greenhouse, or other company looking for green-energy heat for operations.

In Racine WI, S.C. Johnson heats and powers a 2.2 million square foot factory with waste heat from landfill gas conversion.

Near Detroit a Hoosier Energy methane power plant heats a building for automotive supplier Visteon, saving the company nearly $350,000 a year.

This is another example of looking to the future of solid waste as a source for energy. Another reason why the DeKalb County officials should be using the time the law suit with Waste Management is tied up in the Appellate Court system to be planning for the future. We have had a year to reach out to companies like Hoosier, and there is many and more every month, which is looking for opportunities to take solid waste and turn it into power.

Capturing the methane is only one example; there is also safe incineration, as well as anaerobic digestion, as other ways businesses are creating energy with garbage.

Regardless of the Appellate Court’s decision our solid waste needs and problems will not go away. And whether we like it or not there is now an elementary school with ¼ of a mile of the landfill, an elementary school that houses over 300 children every day nearly 200 days a year. It is our responsibility to insure their safety as well as insure their future energy and solid waste needs. A County Board looking toward the future would be doing the necessary research and inviting companies into the county that could do both for our children. We owe it to them to do all we can to protect them and provide a sustainable safe future.

If you would like to contribute to the effort to prevent our landfill from becoming the dumping ground for Cook County and 16 other Northeast Illinois Counties send a contribution of any size to: Stop the Mega-Dump, P.O. Box 363, DeKalb IL 60115. Also take your aluminum cans to DIMCO on Grove Street in DeKalb and ask them to credit the money to the Stop the Mega-Dump account.

We need to take our future and our children’s future into our own hands and not depend upon elected officials or corporations, or experts to do it for us.

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Open Letter for Assistance

Jul 10

Posted by admin in DeKalb County Board, Recycling, waste management | No Comments

Stop the Mega-Dump citizens group is raising funds for the on going legal battle to prevent the international corporation Waste Management Inc (WMI) from expanding the landfill located a quarter mile south of Cortland. The proposed landfill expansion would bring garbage from 17 counties in north east Illinois, including Cook. This battle has been going on since February of 2010. The case is now being appealed to the Appellate Court. The appeal will take a year before we receive a decision.

Waste Management’s total revenues for 2010 were $12.52 billion. In 2010 WMI’s CEO David P. Steiner received $6,961,423 in total compensation. By comparison the median income of WMI 45,000 employees was $33,190, David Steiner earned 209 times the median worker’s pay.

Locally WMI has purchased 500 acres of beautiful farmland and plan to convert it into a large dump for Chicago and collar counties. WMI will pay an average of $500,000 per acre or $250 million to do research, development, and construction for this landfill. They have also paid over $1 million in legal fees thus far.

Our grassroots citizen group is up against a giant. We need the help of everyone in the county who cares about the effect this expansion will have on our environment, quality of life, and well being now and for generations to come. During the public hearings WMI admitted there was no guarantee that the mountain of garbage that will be left for our children will not leak. As a matter of fact according to research all landfills eventually leak. We are asking for your help in the fight to protect our land and water for now and for the generations to come.

WMI makes over $1 billion each year from selling our recyclables which we pay them to pick-up. One way our group can use your help is for you to take your aluminum cans to DIMCO 900 Oak Street in DeKalb and ask them to apply the money to the Stop the Mega-Dump account. We will pick your cans up for you and take them there as well, call 815-793-0950. We also welcome donations of any amount, make checks out to Stop the Mega-Dump and mail to: Stop the Mega-Dump, P.O. Box 363, DeKalb 60115.

Together we can stop this giant from ruining our county.

Dan Kenney
Chair of Stop the Mega-Dump
Citizens Group
DeKalb IL
815-793-0950

Protecting the Environment of Our County: Join the Effort!

Jun 25

Posted by admin in Recycling, waste management | No Comments

The Stop the Mega-Dump Citizens Group is working to raise funds for the legal battle with the multi-national corporation Waste Management Inc. One of the fund raising efforts involves recycling of your aluminum cans. Waste Managements makes hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the aluminum we set out by the curb. We pay them a fee to pick the cans up and then they make as much as a dollar for every pound of aluminum they get from us.

Now you can join the fight to stop Waste Management from bringing garbage from 17 other counties into our landfill. As you may know the Stop the Mega-Dump citizens group has filed an appeal with the Appellate Court in a attempt to prevent the expansion. This legal battle will cost $20,000. We have earned $2,500 thus far. You can be part of the effort by recycling your aluminum cans with DIMCO of DeKalb. DIMCO is located at 900 Oak Street, between north 7th and north 10th streets. When you drop off your aluminum cans just ask them to apply the amount earned to Stop the Mega-Dump. If you would prefer call 815-793-0950 or email dkenney53@hotmail.com and someone from the STMD will pick the cans up at your house and deliver them to DIMCO for you.

Waste Management can make billions of dollars by filling our landfill with garbage from 17 other counties. Together we can stop them from turning over 500 acres of beautiful farmland into one of the last mega-dumps. Together we can prevent this ecological nightmare for our children and our children’s children.

Also if you are able to send a donation to the legal fund please mail a check of any size to: Stop the Mega-Dump
P.O. Box 363
DeKalb IL 60115

If you would like more information about the proposed landfill expansion, or would like a presentation given to your local club or organization please contact Dan Kenney at dkenney53@hotmail.com.

It is in the citizens’ hands to protect the environment of DeKalb County for future generations. Please consider joining the effort and be part of the solution.

Thank You,
Dan Kenney
Chair of
Stop the Mega-Dump
Citizen’s Group

Donate to DIMCO and help Stop the Mega-Dump

May 24

Posted by admin in Recycling, waste management | No Comments

Stop the DeKalb County Mega-Dump has set-up an account with DIMCO so that anyone who brings in aluminum cans to recycle can ask that the money go to Stop the Mega-Dump. Read more at DeKalb County Online.

Articles of Interest

May 9

Posted by admin in Recycling, waste management | No Comments

Here is what they are doing in Taiwan. Where is our EPA on this issue?

EPA pushes to turn waste plants into bio-energy creating centers

Another example of WMI investing in waste to energy. Everywhere it seems except DeKalb County.

Waste Management Invests $22m in Plastic-to-Fuel Company

Don’t give your aluminum to Waste Management

May 9

Posted by admin in Recycling, waste management | No Comments

Waste Management charges us to pick-up our recyclables and then sells the recycled material. Last year WMI made over $300 million on our recycled material.

Now you can recycle your aluminum cans at DIMCO in DeKalb on Oak street and ask them to put the money in the Stop the Mega-Dump account. they are paying 75 cents a …pound for aluminum. Don’t give the money to WMI instead have the money go to stopping the expansion. Spread the word to all your recycling friends.

Message from Stop The Mega-Dump’s Attorney George Mueller:

Mar 20

Posted by admin in DeKalb County Board, waste management | 2 Comments

Below is a message from the Stop the Mega-Dump attorney. We will be going forward with the appeal as he outlines below. We will need additional funds to cover this process. Please send a contribution to: Stop the Mega-Dump
P.O. Box 363
DeKalb IL 60115

Also watch for upcoming dates for a get together and for a public meeting in Cortland. This fight is not over. We need all of you to stay involved. It took Kane county over 4 years to send WMI packing and Kendall county fought them for 6 years. The people of DeKalb County will win this struggle too.

Thanks,
Dan Kenney
Chair of Stop the Mega-Dump

From our Attorney:

Group,

The PCB decision in this case was unexpected and frankly wrong.  The PCB has recently been viewed by many as a rubber stamp for local siting decisions, but it also had a history of protecting the public’s right to meaningfully participate and the integrity of the process.  That is apparently no longer the case.  Fortunately the Second District Appellate Court offers an opportunity to redress this wrong.  In the past this Court has not hesitated in correcting wrongs and errors perpetrated by the Pollution Control Board.

A review of the 74 page decision of the PCB reveals that it is shockingly devoid of real analysis.  Almost all of the decision is a detailed recitation of the arguments of the parties.  The little analysis that does occur is conclusory and not well grounded in established law.  This decision is a major step backward in that the PCB disregarded and seemingly overruled well established precedents regarding fundamental fairness.  The holding that private contacts between the local decision makers and the applicant are not “ex parte” contacts simply because they occur before a siting application is filed is particularly disturbing, because there is no basis in law or logic for such a distinction.  Equally disturbing is the fact that the PCB disregarded the county siting ordinance’s prohibition on participation by almost all members of the public simply because the hearing officer decided to ignore this prohibition.

On the substantive siting criteria, the PCB failed to critically review the evidence, particularly on safety issues, and instead simply deferred to the county decision.  This violates the directive of the Supreme Court that the technically qualified PCB review the evidence as it conducts its hearing.

Thankfully we have the opportunity to appeal.  This appeal will be directly to the Appellate Court in Elgin.  We need to file our petition for review within 35 days after the PCB decision.  Unlike the just finished appeal to the PCB, the Appellate Court will not receive new evidence or additional public comment.  This appeal will be based solely on the record already created, so there is no further opportunity for public participation.  Instead, the attorneys for the parties will file briefs with the Court, and the Court will then hear oral argument on the briefs.  The PCB itself will be a respondent in this appeal.  The entire process should take about one year.  During that time WMII can not go forward with the expansion.

I remain optimistic about our prospects.  We lost a battle, but the war is far from over.  The requirement for fundamental fairness and full, meaningful public participation will prevail.

George Mueller

Statement from Stop The Mega-Dump

Mar 17

Posted by admin in Uncategorized | No Comments

We will be appealing this ruling with the 2nd District Appellate Court. Too much is at stake, the fight will go on. We urge the DeKalb County citizens to stay involved and engaged. Continue to let your board members know how you feel about this planned expansion.

Join us as we continue the fight for the citizens of DeKalb County.

Many folks have been asking about how and to where they can make a donation to assist us in defraying the costs of signage, printing, legal fees, etc.

Please make checks payable to: Stop The Mega-Dump

You can mail them to:
Stop the Mega-Dump
PO Box 363
DeKalb, IL 60115

IPCB Rules on Landfill Appeal

Mar 17

Posted by admin in DeKalb County Board, Public Comments, waste management | No Comments

Reprinted from DeKalb County Online

The Board (IL Pollution Control Board) accordingly finds here that STMD has waived any issues it raised in the petition concerning criteria (iii) and (v) but failed to address in its opening brief.8 Additionally, as the petition’s challenges to the substance of the hydrogen sulfide conditions were not argued in STMD’s opening brief, the Board deems those waived as well.

See Ruling Here

CONCLUSION
The Board finds that that petitioner STMD has failed to prove that the County’s siting procedures were fundamentally unfair, or that the County’s determinations on siting criteria (i), (ii) and (vi) of Section 39.2(a) of the Act were contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. Therefore, the Board affirms the County’s decision granting siting approval to Waste Management for the Expansion of the DeKalb County Landfill.
This opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of facts and conclusions of law.

ORDER
The May 10, 2010 decision of the County granting Waste Management’s application for site location suitability approved for the expansion of the DeKalb County Landfill is affirmed for the reasons expressed in the Board’s opinion.

IT IS SO ORDERED.
Section 41(a) of the Environmental Protection Act provides that final Board orders may be appealed directly to the Illinois Appellate Court within 35 days after the Board serves the order. 415 ILCS 5/41(a) (2008); see also 35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.300(d)(2), 101.906, 102.706. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 335 establishes filing requirements that apply when the Illinois Appellate Court, by statute, directly reviews administrative orders. 172 Ill. 2d R. 335. The Board’s procedural rules provide that motions for the Board to reconsider or modify its final orders may be filed with the Board within 35 days after the order is received. 35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.520; see also 35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.902, 102.700, 102.702.

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