BREWER, Maine — Community members in the greater Bangor area shared their concerns Thursday night regarding a proposal to extend Casella Waste Systems contract operating service agreement and contract to permit the company to manage the Juniper Ridge Landfill through 2040.
The public hearing was mediated by the Bureau of General Services, and Casella representatives were in attendance. Penobscot Nation ambassadors and members of environmental groups like Slingshot and Don't Waste Maine were there.
Casella is requesting a six-year extension to their 30-year operating service agreement with the state of Maine. The company has managed the landfill for the last 10 years.
Jeff Weld, the company's director of communications, said the waste that the landfill accepts has increased by 30 percent since the closure of Penobscot Energy Recovery Company (PERC).
Weld said Juniper Ridge plays a key role in making sure there are no interruptions in waste services for Mainers. He said given the increase in the company's waste capacity, the contract extension is needed. He also said this is the appropriate time to request an extension.
"Landfills, the waste industry in general, are highly regulated," Weld said. "They take a long time to permit. They take a long time to build."
Weld said getting the extension approved sooner than later would be ideal, despite the fact that there is currently a bill, LD2135, being considered by the Maine Legislature that would prevent any changes to the company's contract before there is a public benefit review completed.
Environmentalists say the public benefit review would allow community members and the state to get a better understanding of whether allowing the landfill to continue to operate under Casella's management is helpful or hurtful.
Dana Colihan, co-executive director of Slingshot, said Casella has a long track record of polluting the environment and poorly managing the landfill. Colihan said instead of extending the company's contract, the state should complete a full environmental impact investigation.
Colihan said the runoff wastewater from the landfill is polluting the rivers with PFAS. Colihan also said an open fire ignited at the landfill last May and burned for hours. She said Casella never provided an explanation for what caused the fire, the company did not properly inform the public about the environmental risk or damage that the fire cause, and that Casella failed to properly communicate the issue to people living in communities near the landfill.
"If Casella, a billion-dollar trash company, is rewarded for poisoning our air and waterways as much than they already are, what's next?," Colihan said. "What does that mean for the process if this is able to move forward without accurate and dedicated review to the current plan?"
Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Bryant said indigenous communities heavily rely on fishing to sustain their families, but because of the PFAS-polluted waterways, they have had to limit their fish intake.
Bryant said indigenous reserves sit right next to the landfill, and she said it's frustrating to wake up to the smell of waste every day. Bryant said she has lived on the reservation most of her life, and the smell coming from the waste fields has gotten increasingly worse over the 20 years that Casella has managed the landfill.
Bryant said she too was disappointed about the way Casella handled the fire that broke out at the landfill last year.
"I have a home with three children in it, and just thinking about if this fire gets out of control and starts spreading into Old Town and other communities and onto us," Bryant said. "It's definitely a big concern to have a landfill go up in flames."
Weld said he sees the way that the company handled the fire as a success. He said the fire was contained quickly without extreme damages to the environment. He also said that the company initiated face-to-face outreach with people who live near the landfill to inform them of the incident.
"The landfill was back up and running without service interruption," Weld said. "That should be looked at as a win for the community and for the state."
Bryant said despite Weld's claims, she was never contacted by anyone from Casella to explain the cause of the fire or to talk about the incident.
Weld did not clarify which neighboring community members were contacted regarding the issue.
Weld said the company is in good standing with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). He said the company has always been compliant with DEP guidelines, and he believes familiar and reliable management for a landfill like Juniper Ridge is needed.
"They help make modern life possible, and it's important that you run them in a manner that protects an actual environment and public health," Weld said. "And for 20 years, we have done that."