For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
Elcon Recycling Services LLC recently sent a formal letter of withdrawal to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for their applications of the Elcon project in Falls Township. Applications that were withdrawn included Phase II RCRA Part B, Air Plan Approval, NPDES Stormwater Construction Permit, NPDES Stormwater GP, and planning modules.
“After 5 years of fighting, this is a real victory for grassroots. Elcon has finally given up. This facility would have been a disaster for the Delaware River and a real nightmare for communities. The facility would have sent 600 toxic chemicals into Falls River, the Delaware River, and surrounding areas in New Jersey. Trucks carrying hazardous material would have been moving in or out of the site, risking the chance of an accident or spill. Elcon’s facility would have also sent toxic chemicals through the air and into New Jersey communities. Stopping this project has protected the Basin and the drinking water for 6 million people,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This is a big win for the people, the Sierra Club, the Delaware River Group and POWA. It shows what can happen when we all come together and have a common goal.”
Elcon’s proposal included building on a 22-acre portion of a 33-acre property in the Keystone Industrial Port Complex. The facility has been expected to process 150,000 to 210,000 tons of chemical and pharmaceutical waste that would be transported to the facility every year.
“Elcon was an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen and now it is finally over. They have thrown in the towel because of public pressure and withdrew their application for critical DEP permits. They got the message once PA DEP denied them and finally withdrew their application. Today is a victory for our clean air, clean water, and against toxic waste. Elcon’s proposal was the wrong project in the wrong place at the wrong time. The facility would have turned industrial liquid waste from chemical and pharmaceutical companies into clean water. It would have been a dangerous facility that could have put people around the Delaware River at risk. Because of the potential of spills, accidents, and potential impact on public safety and the environment, it was voted down by both Falls Township and the PA DEP,” said Tittel.
Falls Township officials also unanimously turned down the proposed Elcon hazardous waste treatment facility at a special meeting in April of last year.
“It’s critical that Elcon has given up. Because of public outpouring, both Falls Township and PA DEP denied the project and prevented a toxic nightmare for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The waste from this facility would end up as vapor that we breathe in. The Delaware River and the drinking water for 6 million people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our rivers belong to all of us,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. This project was dangerous to our environment and communities and now has been finally stopped. We have to remain vigilant, however because facilities like Elcon can move around and find another site.”
(Formal Letter of Withdrawal Attached)