Bob Blackmon, Troy
When I was a department chair at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in the 1980s and ’90s, I had rather close contact with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and I had high regard for and confidence in that agency. However, that confidence and regard evaporated on Dec 23. when the DEC approved renewal of the permit for the Dunn construction and demolition debris landfill in Rensselaer. The DEC is charged with conserving the environment. It’s right there in its name. And renewing that permit is the polar opposite of conserving the environment.
The DEC made a huge mistake when it issued the initial permit for the landfill in 2012. The DEC should have acknowledged its error and denied the permit’s renewal. The Rensselaer Environmental Coalition presented ample evidence that the 2012 permit was a mistake. Further evidence can be provided by the school children, teachers, and staff, who daily have to put up with noxious odors, dust, and noise. These are major distractions to teaching and learning, distractions that often pose health risks. Ask the residents of Rensselaer who daily have to contend with truck noise and diesel exhaust fumes.
So what do we now that the DEC has totally disregarded scientific evidence and ignored the will of the people by renewing the permit? I’m not sure, but a starting point might be to begin the process of defunding the DEC. That should get the agency’s attention. Nothing else has.
Finally, what was the role of the governor? Couldn’t she have stopped the permit renewal?
The writer is the President Emeritus of the Justice Center of Rensselaer County.
Published Jan. 6, 2025