U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty opposes Keystone Sanitary Landfill’s controversial expansion plan and supports legislation that would give states new power to regulate incoming garbage, the Democrat said Monday.
The Dunmore and Throop facility — Pennsylvania’s third-busiest landfill by permitted average daily volume — is seeking approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection to expand its disposal area 100 acres and extend its lifespan by 44.6 years.
McGinty, who is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, said she saw promise for Northeastern Pennsylvania’s future in young professionals she has met, the region’s health care industry and area colleges — but not in the landfill industry.
“It’s time to hold up the incredible promise and possibility of Lackawanna County, of Luzerne County, of northeastern Pennsylvania,” she said. “It’s not about trash. It’s about treasure. The treasure of education. The treasure of excellence in life sciences, in medicine, in medical devices. … I oppose the expansion of the Keystone landfill because it’s not in keeping with the promise and the future of this community.”
In the appearance with anti-expansion group Friends of Lackawanna at Courthouse Square in Scranton, the former DEP secretary and chief of staff to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf also expressed support for Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s proposed TRASH Act.
Courts have ruled states cannot ban out-of-state garbage without a new federal law giving them that power; Casey’s proposal would allow states to require incoming waste to meet their own standards for disposal and charge “community benefit fees.”
“This community has stepped up for decades to manage more than its fair share of this country’s waste management challenge,” McGinty said. “Frankly, it’s time for New York and New Jersey to step up and take care of our own trash.”
Toomey has not taken a position on the landfill expansion and his campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the TRASH Act.
Keystone describes benefits of the expansion plan including holding down the region’s waste-disposal costs, keeping about 140 people employed and continuing fees the operation pays to state and local governments flowing.
McGinty said environmental issues Friends of Lackawanna raises “need to be given thorough consideration and examination” through a thorough, open, transparent and inclusive DEP review.
To read full story, visit http://citizensvoice.com/news/senate-candidate-mcginty-opposes-landfill-expansion-1.2102212.