Joshua Pribanic, Public Herald
Per the Air Pollution Control Act, operations that emit major sources of air pollution are required to obtain, and operate in compliance with an operating permit. In Pennsylvania, these permits are known as Title V Permits. Each permit lays out what kind of pollution is being emitted, how much, and what steps the operator is taking to reduce air pollution. When an operator applies for a new or renewed application, the Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) allows for a 30-day public comment period.
Currently, the Arden Landfill (“Arden”), located at 200 Rangos Lane, Washington, PA has applied with the DEP to renew its Title V operations permit TVOP-63-00549. Arden’s permit allows for the following pollutants to be emitted per year: 276.37 tons of carbon monoxide, 136.73 tons of nitrogen oxides, 89.14 tons of particulate matter, 55.14 tons of sulfur oxides, 56.92 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 40.35 tons of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
The DEP is accepting public comments on this facility until June 10, 2024. These comments are very helpful for the DEP to read and understand when they are making their determination on whether to approve, deny, or make amendments to the permit that is being applied for.
Arden has been in operation since 1977 and has incurred dozens of violations. Many of these violations show administrative issues which look to be benign on the surface. However, as reported in 2023, Arden had major gas in its records which did not correlate with the state’s oil and gas report. The oil and gas report reflected that Arden received 29,221 tons of waste, whereas the landfill records showed that it received 269,480 tons of waste that very same year – more than nine times the amount reported. Arden has also been cited for accepting unapproved material (violation ID 235654) and failure to correctly measure and analyze leachate flow (violation ID 235655). Some of these violations are generated during routine inspections by the DEP itself while others come from community members noticing something and filing a report with the DEP.
If you or anyone you know would like to voice your opinion on this permit application, written comments can be submitted to the DEP via mail. Address comments to Noor Nahar at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Each protest or set of written comments must contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the comments, identification of the proposed Title V Operating Permit (63-00549), a concise statement of the objections to the Operating Permit issuance, and the relevant facts upon which the objections are based. Additionally, you can reach out to the Center for Coalfield Justice by emailing Ethan Story at ethan@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org; in the subject line, please type “Arden Landfill Comment.”
