November 17, 2007
R
CLERK'S
DE:
0E3
OFFICE
I
2V0
D
STATE OF
ILLINOIS
Pollution Control Board
Carol Webb
Hearing Officer
Illinois Pollution Control Board
1021 N. Grand Ave. East
P.O. Box 19274
Springfield, IL 62794-9274
Ms. Webb,
I am writing in response to Peoria Disposal Company's appeal to the IPCB to grant them a
permit modification to consider them a waste generator, allowing them to expand the landfill and
bypass the local approval process. I urge you not to grant the permit modification.
This seems a totally ludicrous request and a waste of your organizations time and energy. The
laws were modified to provide local approval for landfill siting and expansion. Our local
government and citizens have spoken via the Peoria County Board's vote denying the expansion
permit and the many thousands of public comments opposing the expansion, modification and
renewal. Now they are trying to pretend they actually generate the waste that is physically
trucked from other cities and states to their facility.
The permit expansion process was very thorough and lengthy. The Peoria County Board found
that PDC did not meet just one, but three of the nine criteria. As allowed by law, PDC has
chosen to continue to fight this battle through the appeals process. It seems it would be more
productive if they would put their efforts towards earning the communities trust instead of
undermining it further by what is perceived as a very deceptive move.
Much has changed since 1987 when their initial permit was granted, but the fact remains our
Peoria County
Board
did not support the landfill in 1985, and again they voted the expansion
down in 2006, based on not one, but three criteria. PDC
knew well in advance what the criteria
was they had
to
meet and yet offered no evidence to support the criteria regarding the
health and
safety of the community. Inability to meet the criteria is no reason to change the
rules of the
game. They knew the rules upfront and yet elected not to play by them all. In addition, the
Peoria County Board voted unanimously opposing support of PDC's permit modification.
Most importantly, PDC has had since 1985 to develop a contingency plan. PDC chose to ignore
the message sent by the Peoria County Board in 1985, and the rapidly changing environmental
climate. Since that time PDC could have applied for siting approval in a more suitable location.
They did not. Instead, they operated under their original ten year permit for twenty years
due
to
IEPA backlog. The citizens of Peoria County should not pay the price for PDC's short
sightedness. PDC elected to take their chances with the permit renewal and expansion request.
Just because the result is not what they intended, should not mean they can reinvent themselves
as a waste generator to bypass the laws that were designed to protect the citizens of Peoria
County.
I urge you to uphold the IEPA's decision to deny PDC's request for a permit modification.
Sincerely,
(10,1)177.1.-kt
Catherine A. Stev son
4536 N. Miller Ave.
Peoria Heights, IL 61616