By Sharon Furlong

In Falls Township, Bucks County, Elcon Recycling Services, LLC, an international recycling and hazardous waste collection firm, had proposed building a plant that boils imported hazardous liquids containing between 300 and 590 types of toxins in order to oxidize the products. The end product would be a sludge containing poisonous salts and heavy metals that are comprised, at a minimum, of the following components but not limited to: chromium, copper, cadmium, lead, mercury, chlorobenzene and trichloroethane.

The Falls Township Supervisors called for a community meeting to discuss Elcon on April 30th at a local High School auditorium -- and it was packed. Representatives from Elcon were there, community members, other Bucks County residents, the folks who have spearheaded the multi- year fight against this proposal for a liquid hazardous waste facility, and the press. After presentations and questions from the Supervisors, after comments and audience reactions, the Supervisors voted 5-0 against granting the Land Use Permit that was up for their consideration. The crowd erupted in applause that became a standing ovation. But sadly, that is not the end of Elcon -- our severely underfunded, skeletonized and struggling DEP has three additional permits from Elcon to consider: a Solid Waste Management Permit for a Commercial Hazardous Waste Treatment and Storage Facility, an Air Quality Plan Approval, and a General Stormwater Discharge permit.

PA DEP conducted a public meeting on March 5th in the Oxford Valley area of Bucks, where it presented these permits and explained the parameters of how it makes its decision. It became clear that the agency does not believe its mandate includes taking cumulative effects of projects into consideration, which seems to be an entirely new direction for the agency and some will argue, against State law. However, it asserted just this position over and over again, when challenged for several hours by members of a packed audience, most of whom never had a chance to speak. The agency has not called for a second meeting. Its decision on these permits is supposed to be announced by May 25th. If PA DEP grants these permits, some think Elcon will sue Falls Township for refusing the Land Use Permit.

Photo courtesy of Dominic Brennan, Conservation Voters of PA

On Wednesday, May 8th, the New Jersey contingent of the core group leading the fight against Elcon, including Bucks County Sierra Club, hosted another educational and informational meeting at the Sheraton Hotel, again, in the Oxford Valley Mall area of Langhorne, at 6:30 p.m. It was focused on the PA DEP and how this fight now needs to shift to this agency that has made noises to the effect that it just might cave in.

Bucks County already has the dubious distinction of having the worst ozone/smog rates in the entire State, and the number two overall air pollution rate in the State. It can ill afford another major polluter. And none of us can afford the risks Elcon presents, not only as an air polluter, but by putting the Delaware River at risk from experimental methods of oxidizing liquid hazardous wastes less than half a mile from a river that provides drinking water to 15 million.

Falls township officials voted NOT to grant a Land Use permit to Elcon for a number of reasons, not the least of which was failure to have a specified emergency safety plan, as well planning to address building in a 100 year floodplain by lifting massive building up by 7 feet using trucked in fill. But there is more to this fight.

Recently, PA DEP denied Elcon one of the three permits it has before the agency. This is one more hurdle that has been placed in the way of Elcon continuing its quest to build in Falls Township. But like many environmental projects and zombies, they just don’t die. None of us opposing Elcon think the fight is over. There are two more permits before the agency… and for companies with deep pockets there are always the courts. Zombies…

This blog was included as part of the 2019 Spring Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!