Hello Everyone,

As you may have heard, the Wheelabrator issue did get an extension till July 26th in order to get more community response.  Both Revere & Saugus City Councils are in opposition of the expansion and want to move ahead on closing the facility.

Input can be from boaters regardless of the community they live in.
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YOUR URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW….. PLEASE!

ISSUE:  Wheelabrator’s Saugus Trash Incinerator is proposing to expand the ash landfill directly across from your home and recreational area.  Please email or write the EEA that you areadamantly opposed to the expansion and demand closure of the facility by Dec 2016 as originally slated.

IMPORTANT DATES:   
    July 26th – Deadline for Community Input to Secretary of Energy &
Environmental Affairs – Matthew Beaton
    Aug 6th –   Decision by Mr. Beaton on whether Wheelabrator will be
                      required to conduct a full and complete Environmental Impact
                      report (EIR)

BEFORE JULY 26, 2016 –  WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

  1. Email or Write a Letter TODAY to Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton.  Be sure to state your location to the facility and other compelling facts for opposing expansion and demanding closure of the facility.

     Email: page.czepiga@state.ma.us   Be sure to reference EEA No. 15525
US Mail:     Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Attn: MEPA Office
Page Czepiga, EEA No. 15525
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston MA 02114

  1. Request Secretary Beaton require a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be conducted on the Wheelabrator proposal to dump an additional 650,000 tons of ash over the next 4 to 5 years in an unlined landfill.
  2. Demand Lynn, Revere & Saugus Boards of Health participatein the environmental reviews.

4. Write to Your Local NewsPaper – 
Saugus Advocate – mgaffney@wickedlocal.com,Mvoge@comcast.comnet
Revere Journal – Sue Woodcock  – suewoodcock@reverejournal.com

12 Facts Citizens of Saugus, Revere and Lynn Need to Know About Wheelabrator’s Ash Landfill

1.  Wheelabrator Saugus’ ash landfill is the only ash landfill in Massachusetts without a liner that is currently still in existence.  Per DEP records of active and inactive
landfills, all other landfills in the Commonwealth without a liner have ceased filling.

  1. Since the early 1970’s, Wheelabrator (formerly known as RESCO) has been depositing 300-500 tons per day of toxic incinerator ash in the landfill adjacent to their plant on Route 107, in close proximity to the people of East Saugus and Point of Pines Revere.
  2. The incinerator ash contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic as well as dioxin, a known carcinogen.
  3. The Massachusetts Cancer Registry confirms that Saugus and Revere citizens have higher than expected cancer rates.
  4. State environmental officials have continually allowed Wheelabrator to operate this ash dump in a manner inconsistent with available state of the art technologies.
  5. Current standards for ash dumps would not permit incinerator ash to be dumped without a liner and without daily cover and certainly not in a wetland environment, and certainly not in an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
  6. The ash landfill is in the midst of Rumney Marshes and Saugus River Watershed, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). In 1989 heavy metals were found to be present in the Pines River.
  7. The ash landfill was scheduled to close in 1996; however the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has allowed nine (9) amendments to the 1989 Consent Order – making it legal for Wheelabrator to continue dumping ash into the landfill indefinitely.
  8. Wheelabrator is currently seeking to expand its unlined ash dump by digging up previously capped and grassed portions and adding more ash.
  9.   According to the new FEMA flood maps, property owners in East Saugus and parts of Revere must purchase expensive flood insurance due to projected storm surges as a result of climate change, global warming and rising tides.  As the tides rise, the risk of contaminates spreading into our communities increases, which makes additional dumping in this unlined landfill area most alarming.
  10.  Resco/Wheelabrator/DEP has a history of not acting unless mandated by legislation.  It took legislation action to mandate in 1989 that Resco add scrubbers to its stacks to reduce fly ash and air pollution.
  11. Resco/Wheelabrator has been named in lawsuits over the years.  In 2002, RESCO had to give $750,000 to Revere’s Oak Island neighborhood as mitigation and in 2011 a $7.5 million settlement was made to various cities and towns due to claims of mishandling the ash, something Wheelabrator did not contest. This was the largest environmental settlement in the history of Massachusetts.