Nashville Citizens Win One Round
(Note: Below please find a report from the Vice President of the citizen group resisting WMI landfill expanion)
"We, Bordeaux Beautiful, Inc. a coalition of neighborhood organizations in Nashville, TN, are suing Waste Management, Inc. for requesting a 10 year extension on a construction & demolition landfill in an African American community and also requesting an expansion of the acceptable items to include tires.
According to the original permit issued in 1974 by Nashville's Metro Solid Waste Regional Board, the landfill was to have closed in 1997. Annually, Waste Management, Southern Services, Inc. applied for an extension and met no opposition. This time we organized and are contesting the extension and expansion request. We won the first round based on denial of due process...our community received only a 2 day notice of the required public meeting last year. Hence, that permit was voided by the courts.
The 6 acre plat of land that Waste Management wants to use for site expansion is a portion of a protected wetlands that was impacted or destroyed from operations and expansion of this same landfill in 2002.
"When the operator of the landfill was issued a prior permit to expand the landfill in this case, it had to create acreage for the landfill. It is this same wetland that WMI has been issued a permit to cover
a portion of in this new permit" (request).", states the Affidavit of Barry Sulkin, Environmental Consultant filed June 11, 2004, case # 04-1513-111.
Waste Management, Inc. has now resubmitted their application request and the public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday evening, July 27, 2004, at 5:30 p.m. PLEASE HELP!! For the past 60+ years the North Nashville and Bordeaux communities have been the destination site for our city's undesirable and unwanted service facilities. We have reached our limit. Enough is
enuff!!!"
Johniene Thomas, Vice President
Bordeaux Beautiful, Inc.
The 30 year old landfill was set to close in 2008. But WMI requested approval of an expansion of the site enabling the landfill to operate for 10 more years. The expansion would allow WMi to add an additional mound 80 feet high, 15 feet higher than the other two existing mounds. Waste Management's Randy Pomeroy said that around 100 trucks per day use the landfill.
Metro
Councilwoman Brenda Gilmore said that the Department of Health reported that the
Bordeaux area has the highest incidence of asthma of any area in metro
Nashville. "My children had to grow up near this dump and now, my
grandchildren will have to live with this site too," she said. "The
dust from the dump is a constant reminder that there is a public health and an
environmental impact that needs to be addressed in this issue. "
For further history
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