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Landfill A Good Deal For Pasco

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By BILL NEWTON

Special to the Tribune

Published: December 26, 2008

Regarding "State Agency Slaps Public During Landfill Debacle" (Our Opinion, Dec. 19):

Times are tough, so this is time for Pasco County to be extra careful with taxpayer funds. That's why Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN) supports the east Pasco bioreactor landfill proposal that's in front of the county now - an environmentally friendly project that puts money back in the pockets of consumers. It offers Pasco County compelling financial incentives, as well as a green way to deal with our waste disposal needs.
Bioreactor landfills use advanced technology to rapidly compost trash and generate methane used to make electricity, thereby greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming. We agree and so does the Nature Coast Sierra club. Even the governor's new energy bill recognizes this use as a way to achieve our statewide recycling goals.

The proposed bioreactor facility would be constructed at no cost to the county. The owners would only charge Pasco residents $27 per ton, compared with the $56.70 they pay today. Pasco residents would save hundreds of millions of dollars compared to the county's plan to expand the Shady Hills incinerator at a cost of about $150 million and counting.

The facility's owner has also offered to accept a portion of Pasco residential waste for free, build a citizen recycling center, construct roadway improvements and limit the types of materials that would be accepted to further safeguard the environment.

So why is the county considering incinerator expansion? We wonder, especially since they have said that residents' fees will eventually triple or more to pay back bonds needed for expansion. With well-documented public health and environmental risks and high taxpayer costs, we're not sure why any government would consider expanding an incinerator today. We suspect politics is involved.

The environmental arguments against this landfill don't hold water. In a draft permit it is expected to finalize next month, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection saw no significant issues with the proposal. As an extra layer of protection and assurance, the draft permit would require the developer to regularly monitor groundwater and all systems to ensure they are properly functioning and pose no threat to the environment.

We understand that a protest group of residents has been formed in the area and is concerned about the environment. Citizens should be concerned and monitor this project closely. But what may not be evident is that the group in the news was initiated and funded not by average citizens but by several large, influential landowners in the area who have their own interests. Their concern may well be less about the environment and more that a nearby landfill, no matter how environmentally safe, might hurt their interests.

Our bottom line is this: How can Pasco consumers save money and protect their environment? Private enterprise has put on the table a green proposal that will save taxpayers millions of dollars. The FDEP is likely to approve a permit. The opponents seem political and motivated by private interests.

At a time when so many Pasco residents face financial pressures and fewer county services, when public trust in elected officials is eroding, and when government scandals fill our news, county government needs to look out for taxpayer interests - not those of wealthy landowners. Our group, a Florida consumer watchdog organization with deep roots in Pasco County, will be following this project with interest in the coming months.

We urge citizens to write their county commissioners and tell them to save money and fight for Pasco, not special interests. Don't burn our tax dollars!

Bill Newton is executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network in Tampa.

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