Mastodawn

DoomsdaysCW Jul 19, 2025

#PenobscotNation citizens rally in opposition to proposed expansion of #JuniperRidgeLandfill

Jul. 18, 2025

OLD TOWN/ALTON, #Maine (WABI) - "Penobscot Nation citizens rallied across the Penobscot County court Friday afternoon in opposition to a proposed expansion to Maine’s largest #landfill.

"The rally was in response to the #ConservationLawFoundation and the Penobscot Nation appealing an expansion to #JuniperRidgeLandfill, which will allow #CasellaWasteSystems to expand Juniper Ridge by 11.9 million cubic yards.

"According to members of the #WabanakiAlliance, the expansion would pose a threat to surrounding #TribalLands due to concerns of air and #WaterPollution surrounding the #PenobscotRiver from the landfill.

"Speakers at the rally represented citizens of the Penobscot Nation, the Wabanaki Alliance, as well as the environmental groups #Slingshot and #DontWasteME.

" 'It is incredibly powerful to see the number of people out here in opposition to this expansion and support of this appeal. We know the time for #EnvironmentalJustice is now. We need to turn the tide towards #ZeroWaste,' said #DanaColihan, Co-Executive Director of environmental group Slingshot.

" 'I just hope that the state can get serious about actual environmental justice, and Casella can implement some practices that it make it so that they don’t have to bring out of state waste to stabilize our sludge, and really find solutions instead of creating more problems with us,' stated #MaulianBryant, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance."

Penobscot Nation citizens rally in opposition to proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge Landfill

The rally was in response to the Conservation Law Foundation and the Penobscot Nation appealing an expansion to Juniper Ridge Landfill.

WABI

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DoomsdaysCW Jan 31, 2025

Oh yeah. #JuniperRidgeLandfill is NOT a solution!

Time is running out to find new solutions to manage #biosolids in Maine

A new report shows that capacity at a state-owned #landfill will run out in 2028.

PORTLAND, Maine — "There are growing concerns about the state's ability to handle waste and the impact it could have on wastewater treatment facilities in just a few years. Tons of wastewater #sludge, or #biosolids, are shipped to a state-owned landfill every day. That sludge is laced with #PFAS.

"State regulators say if investments aren't made to manage it, the landfill could be at capacity by 2028. The Portland Water District's East End plant takes in 25,000 pounds of solid waste daily.

"'What comes in has to go out, so when we have interruptions in the ability to manage biosolids, that is a huge challenge,' Scott Firmin, director of Portland Wastewater Services with the Portland Water District, explained.

"The utility has nearly 100,000 customers in the Greater Portland area and ships the byproduct of that waste, known as sludge or biosolids, to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill near #OldTownMaine.

"Last summer, it was left scrambling after #Casella Waste Systems said it could not safely accept municipal #sludge at #JuniperRidge after shipments of construction debris needed to stabilize the site were banned.

"'Ninety percent of the biosolids generated in Maine go to that landfill,' Firmin said."

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/pfas/time-is-running-out-to-find-new-solutions-to-manage-biosolids-in-maine-waste-pfas/97-0e674c1a-6c51-40a6-b297-5438e2cda549
#WaterIsLIfe #CompostingToilets #JuniperRidge #EnvironmentalDestruction #PenobscotRiver #PenobscotNation #EnvironmentalRacism #ProtectTheSacred

Before you continue to YouTube

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DoomsdaysCW Jan 31, 2025

This is the kind of BULLSHIT that the #PenobscotNation have been dealing with for years! WTF!

#Maine opens door for #landfill expansion despite community objections

By: Emma Davis - October 3, 2024

"The #JuniperRidgeLandfill is a step closer to an expansion that would allow for roughly 11 more years of use, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates concerned about the landfill’s impact on air and water quality in the region.

"In a decision released Wednesday, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Melanie Loyzim determined there is a substantial public benefit from a proposal to increase the capacity of the facility in #OldTown and Alton, which means the #Casella subsidiary that operates it can now submit an application for a license to expand the facility.

"The decision has not stymied opposition. The #ConservationLawFoundation, an environmental advocacy organization, is prepared to challenge the determination, according to director of communities and toxics Alexandra St. Pierre.

"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' St. Pierre wrote in a statement following the decision. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the Penobscot Nation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community. We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'

"Juniper Ridge Landfill is owned by the state but managed by the Bureau of General Services, which contracts with #NEWSMELandfill Operations, LLC, a subsidiary of the waste management company #CasellaWasteManagement.

"Opened in 1993 and last expanded in 2017, the landfill currently disposes of just over half of landfill waste in Maine and is expected to exhaust its current capacity by 2028. BGS has proposed expanding the landfill by 61 acres, which at the current fill rate of about 1 million cubic yards of waste per year, would allow for roughly 11 more years of use.

"The #MaineDEP concluded that Casella’s proposed expansion is needed to meet Maine’s short- and long-term waste capacity needs and is consistent with the state’s waste reduction plans. From 2018 to 2022, Maine’s landfill waste increased by 24%. Waste generation continues to increase at approximately 5.6% per year.

"Further, the DEP determined that the expansion doesn’t conflict with #EnvironmentalJustice [BULLSHIT] — a new factor that had to be considered under a state law passed in 2021 — that is, as long as Casella meets a few conditions.

Environmental justice was among the concerns raised by environmental groups, local residents and the Penobscot Nation during public comment.

"The public argued there was insufficient treatment of landfill leachate — water that collects chemicals after passing through the waste — specifically for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, which runs into the #PenobscotRiver.

"The Penobscot Nations’s reservation at Indian Island is located FIVE MILES from the landfill and also includes the Penobscot River, along which Juniper Ridge is located."

Maine opens door for landfill expansion despite community objections • Maine Morning Star

The Juniper Ridge Landfill in Maine is a step closer to an expansion that would allow for roughly 11 more years of use, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates.

Maine Morning Star

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DoomsdaysCW Jan 31, 2025

Still reeling from #PFAS spill, #BrunswickMaine residents push back on plans for #sludge treatment plant

by AnnMarie Hilton, Tue, January 28, 2025

"Brunswick resident Sandra Carslick said she and her neighbors have been living in a 'bad dream' for the five months since 1,600 gallons of toxic foam spilled so-called forever chemicals at the already contaminated former Naval Air Station nearby.

"At a Brunswick Town Council meeting on Monday night, Carslick said that bad dream could soon become residents’ 'worst nightmare,' if the town reopens a processing site for chemical-laden [#Biosolids] sludge from sewer treatment plants across Maine, and potentially beyond.

"The residents were responding to plans from Delaware-based #ViridiEnergy to update and expand #BrunswickLanding’s anaerobic digester, which converts sewage sludge — also referred to as #biosolids — into renewable natural gas and byproducts that get sent to landfills.

"During Monday’s presentation to the town council, company representatives explained how the facility would work and what local residents could expect. Several councilors said they would like to see additional data before deciding, but some already expressed concerns that the project isn’t right for Brunswick, particularly at this time. Members of the public also spoke for more than an hour, overwhelmingly concerned about the project and its potential to bring more #HarmfulChemicals into the area.
"The town is still dealing with the accidental discharge last summer of #firefighting foam containing #perfluoroalkyl and #polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as #PFAS, at a hangar at #BrunswickExecutiveAirport, which is also situated at Brunswick Landing.

"The spill has prompted environmental and public health concerns over the PFAS, which have been linked to serious long-term health problems including #cancer, weakened #immune systems, developmental issues, and more. Since it started surveying and reviewing the material in the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] has found more than 700 chemicals in sewage sludge, including PFAS.

"Chet Benham, a senior advisor and one of the founders of Viridi, tried to address those concerns during the meeting, telling residents the facility will operate according to all state and local requirements. He said there are protocols to prevent spills of the sludge that will move through the closed-loop facility.

"'We feel really, really good about it,' Benham said. 'We wouldn’t be standing here before you if we didn’t.' [Typical #Greenwashing #Bullshit]

"According to Viridi’s plan, the facility would take in about 85,000 tons of biosolids per year, which would be processed into renewable natural gas that would feed into Maine Natural Gas. About 10,000 tons of solid material byproduct would be sent from the plant to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill in Old Town. Over the course of the discussion, it came to light that Viridi would also likely bring in sludge from outside of Maine in order to run their facility at full capacity."

Still reeling from PFAS spill, Brunswick residents push back on plans for sludge treatment plant

Brunswick resident Sandra Carslick said she and her neighbors have been living in a “bad dream” for the five months since 1,600 gallons of toxic foam spilled...

Yahoo News

DoomsdaysCW Nov 14, 2024

#PenobscotNation and #ConservationLawFoundation appeal to stop #JuniperRidgeLandfill expansion

Maine Public | By Carol Bousquet
Published November 13, 2024

"The Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation have filed an appeal in Superior Court to stop the expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in #OldTownMaine.

"In October the state concluded that the expansion was in the public's interest and set several conditions that #Casella Waste Management must meet to move forward with the project.

"Alexandra St. Pierre of the Conservation Law Foundation said the expansion runs contrary to the state's waste management goals, which prioritize reduction of waste volume and using #landfills.

"'Our goal here is to ensure that the decision is consistent with environmental justice and with the solid waste hierarchy as the law requires,' St. Pierre said.

"The Penobscot Nation and #CLF said that in its finding, the state failed to guarantee the safety of residents and the #environment.

"They argue that harmful exposure to #PFAS in the landfill's #leachate, #AirPollution and contamination of the #PenobscotRiver will all increase.

"'And we're really hoping we'll get adequate consideration for the issues that we raised and that the people actually themselves are considered and that #EnvironmentalJustice is implemented,' St. Pierre said.

"The DEP said it is unable to comment on pending litigation."

https://www.mainepublic.org/courts-and-crime/2024-11-13/penobscot-nation-and-conservation-law-foundation-appeal-to-stop-juniper-ridge-landfill-expansion

#MaineDEP #WabanakiConfederacy #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #IndianIsland #Penobscot #MaineEnvironmentalNews #Maine

Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation appeal to stop Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion

In October the state concluded that the expansion was in the public's interest and set several conditions that Casella Waste Management must meet to move forward with the project.

WMEH

DoomsdaysCW Oct 3, 2024

#MaineDEP says expansion of state’s largest landfill would benefit public

The decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned #JuniperRidgeLandfill, which takes in 52% of the state's waste.

by Penelope Overton
October 2, 2024

"Despite objections from neighbors and environmental groups, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection concluded Wednesday that expanding the state’s largest landfill, Juniper Ridge, would substantially benefit the public.
It’s not an outright approval, but the department’s decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state’s waste. The state claims this expansion would extend the facility’s operating life by 11 years; without it, it would run out of space by 2028.

"DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim’s decision can be appealed to the Board of Environmental Protection and the Maine courts, and several opponents of the proposed expansion, like the Boston-based #ConservationLawFoundation , say they are prepared to challenge the decision.

"'This decision recklessly gambles with public health and the environment,' said #AlexandraStPierre, the director of communities and toxics in the foundation’s #EnvironmentalJustice Program. 'It dismisses the serious concerns raised by the #PenobscotNation and other nearby residents about the harmful effects this expansion will have on their health and community.'

"She continued: 'We refuse to allow this dangerous expansion to proceed unchecked.'

"The foundation and other opponents say the #OldTown location of the facility unfairly places the burden of the state’s trash needs on the Penobscot Nation. The #leachate that #JuniperRidge produces when it rains is sent to a nearby paper mill sewer plant that discharges into the #PenobscotRiver.

[...]

"The amount of waste heading to Maine landfills has increased 34% between 2018 and 2022, according to DEP. #Sludge that was once spread on #agricultural fields is now landfilled due to forever chemical #contamination [#PFAS]. The amount of municipal solid waste landfilled during that time jumped 47%.

"While some people say Maine is not doing enough to divert waste from the #landfills – for example, a bill that would have required large #FoodWaste generators to #recycle their #scraps at a nearby facility died on the appropriations table – others object to #Casella as the facility operator.

"Casella clashed with some municipal leaders and state lawmakers when it refused to accept the #biosolids created by wastewater treatment plants at Juniper Ridge out of fear that the mushy slop, or sludge, was causing structural instability that could lead to the landfill’s collapse."

Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10/02/maine-state-needs-to-expand-its-biggest-landfill/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/VXv9m

#WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #JuniperRidgeLandfill #CasellaWasteSystems #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicFire #PFASPollution
#WabanakiAlliance
#DontWasteME #Slingshot #EnvironmentalJustice #PenobscotNation #PFAS #PenobscotRiver #EnvironmentalInjustice #CompostFoodWaste #ReduceWaste

Maine DEP says expansion of state’s largest landfill would benefit public

The decision allows the state to apply to add 61 acres to the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill, which takes in 52% of the state's waste.

Press Herald

DoomsdaysCW Oct 3, 2024

'It's killing us': Public reacts to proposed expansion of #JuniperRidgeLandfill

Story by Katie Delaney
7/16/2024

"'#JuniperRidge has destroyed the life of people who live around it. At times, it has destroyed part of the #PenobscotRiver; it has destroyed part of our air, water, and land,' Don White, a Bucksport resident, said.

"Public commenters expressed concerns about harmful #emissions, #landfill fires, and #PFAS contamination coming from the facility.

"Many of the people speaking out said Juniper Ridge is an example of #EnvironmentalInjustice, particularly for the #PenobscotNation.

"'It's killing us,' #KathyPaul, a Penobscot Nation Elder, said. 'I just feel like I'm sitting here waiting to die, and I don't mean to be an extremist or anything like that, but I'm really afraid. I can smell the difference already.'"

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/tech/science/environment/juniper-ridge-landfill-public-comment-expansion-proposal-maine-waste-environment/97-22670996-85e5-4533-83aa-0ecb08809eda

#WaterIsLife #JuniperRidgeLandfill #CasellaWasteSystems #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicFire #PFASPollution
#WabanakiAlliance
#DontWasteME #Slingshot #EnvironmentalJustice

Before you continue to YouTube

DoomsdaysCW Oct 3, 2024

[It seems that today's vote was in favor of expanding #JuniperRidge]

Juniper Ridge Landfill is one step closer to expanding
Maine Public | By Kaitlyn Budion

Published September 20, 2024 at 1:22 PM EDT

"#Environmental groups are concerned about a draft decision from the Department of Environmental Protection that brings #JuniperRidgeLandfill in #OldTown one step closer to expanding.

"The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued a draft decision approving the expansion's public benefit determination, despite opposition from the #PenobscotNation, area residents and #EnvironmentalGroups.

"Opponents have brought up concerns about odors and contamination from the #PFAS-filled sludge at the #landfill.

"Alexandra St. Pierre with the #ConservationLawFoundation said the group was disappointed by the draft approval and wants the department to give greater weight to comments from the public.

"'We're hoping that Maine DEP will stop making this unnecessary space for waste and make more space for people's voices and the real needs of the community,' she said.

"In the draft, the department outlines several conditions of the approval, including conducting an odor study and installing a system for treating landfill leachate for PFAS.

"Dana Colihan with the environmental nonprofit Slingshot said it's insulting for the DEP to say the expansion is consistent with #EnvironmentalJustice for the surrounding community.

'"When we think about the odors, the #AirPollution, the #contamination of the #PenobscotRiver from the minimally treated leachate, and how all these factors threaten the Penobscot Nation and working-class #Mainers living and the surrounding communities, I can't fathom how the state can argue that this fulfills the required environmental justice criteria,' Colihan said.

"The draft is available for public comment until Friday, Sept. 27, and the DEP is expected to publish the final decision Wednesday, Oct. 2."

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2024-09-20/juniper-ridge-landfill-is-one-step-closer-to-expanding

#WaterIsLife #SunlightMediaCollective
#JuniperRidgeLandfill
#CasellaWasteSystems #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicFire #PFASPollution
#WabanakiAlliance
#DontWasteME #Slingshot

Juniper Ridge Landfill is one step closer to expanding

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued a draft decision approving the expansion's public benefit determination, despite opposition from the Penobscot Nation, area residents and environmental groups.

WMEH

DoomsdaysCW Oct 2, 2024

While on the subject of #landfills and #TrashFires...

Exponential Landfill Expansion Proposal MustTake Into Account #EnvironmentalJustice

Josh Woodbury July 25, 2024

"#CasellaWasteSystems has applied for an expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill that could more than double its size. Under law, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection must determine whether an expansion has 'public benefit.' They also must consider Environmental Justice when looking at the industrial facility’s impact on surrounding communities, including the #PenobscotNation. The #MEDEP will make a decision by August 23rd. Public comments are currently being accepted. [I'll have to look into what the decision was]

"After a hard fought push back from area residents, including members of the Penobscot Nation, the DEP is now required to consider 'Environmental Justice' when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the 'Public Benefit' criteria. The DEP will decide if the criteria is met next month.

"Juniper Ridge landfill is located in West Old Town, and is situated between #PushawStream and #BirchStream that both flow into the #PenobscotRiver. The landfill’s leachate waste is trucked to the now #NineDragonsMill in #OldTownMaine, where it receives treatment [sic] and is released into the Penobscot River, directly below the Penobscot Nation.

"In current solid waste law, the DEP has defined Environmental Justice as, '…the right to be protected from environmental pollution and live in and enjoy a clean and healthful #environment, regardless of ancestry, class, disability, ethnicity, income, national origin or religion.

"Environmental justice includes the equal protection and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of waste management laws, regulations, and licensing decisions.

"The Penobscot Nation has experienced environmental impacts from the Juniper Ridge Landfill including odors, a toxic fire in 2023, and the discharging of minimally treated leachate, which includes #PFAS, into the #PenobscotRiver sustenance fishing waters.

"Juniper Ridge Landfill still accepts out of state waste after Casella lobbied for a postponement of recently passed restrictions."

https://www.sunlightmediacollective.org/exponential-landfill-expansion-proposal-musttake-into-account-environmental-justice/

#SunlightMediaCollective #JuniperRidgeLandfill #Casella #MaineNews #Maine #ToxicSmoke #ToxicFire #WaterIsLife #WabanakiAlliance #KathyPaul #DontWasteME #Slingshot #ConservationLawFoundation

Exponential Landfill Expansion Proposal MustTake Into Account Environmental Justice:

Public Comments Being Accepted Now Nine Dragons outflow pipe containing processed leachate from Juniper Ridge Landfill. Effluent has been found to contain PFAS. Photo by Sunlight Media Collective/C…

Sunlight Media Collective

DoomsdaysCW Aug 1, 2024

Exponential #Landfill Expansion Proposal Must Take Into Account #EnvironmentalJustice

by Josh Woodbury July 25, 2024

“The #PenobscotNation continues to have grave concerns about the management of the #JuniperRidgeLandfill which has had a negative impact on our lands, waters, and people. The practices employed at the site over the years have added to the harmful #contamination of our sacred homeland, the #PenobscotRiver. The health and well being of our citizens is directly linked to the health and well being of the river. Due to industrial and waste management #pollutants such as forever chemicals, #PFAS, affecting the river we have not been able to continue our cultural value of being a sustenance fishing people because the fish in the river are not healthy enough for us to consume more than small amounts. This disruption is not just about a food source, it is about the connection to our ancestors and very ways of being suffering due to the oppressive nature of profit over people and the ethos of environmental injustice that places marginalized communities in harm’s way. The expansion of Juniper Ridge under #Casella perpetuates harms against the Penobscot Nation, who are the original stewards of these lands and waters dating back over 10,000 years. Coupled with the questionable nature of if this initiative is in line with state statutes, there is no reason to think favorably of it. We add our voice to the assertion that there is no public benefit to this expansion, quite the opposite.” - Penobscot Nation Ambassador #MaulianBryant, July 16, 2024.

"#CasellaWasteSystems has applied for an expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill that could more than double its size. Under law, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection [#MDEP] must determine whether an expansion has 'public benefit.' They also must consider Environmental Justice when looking at the industrial facility’s impact on surrounding communities, including the Penobscot Nation. The #DEP will make a decision by August 23rd. Public comments are currently being accepted.

"After a hard fought push back from area residents, including members of the Penobscot Nation, the DEP is now required to consider 'Environmental Justice' when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the '#PublicBenefit' criteria. The DEP will decide if the criteria is met [in August]."

#WabanakiConfederacy #Wabanaki #IndigenousNews
#DefendTheSacred #DefendMotherEarth #WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism

Exponential Landfill Expansion Proposal MustTake Into Account Environmental Justice:

Sunlight Media Collective