IWC Postpones Hearing On Railroad Waste Expansion

By Andrew Gorosko

Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members on October 28 agreed to postpone until November 18 the continuation of a public hearing on the wetlands protection aspects of the Housatonic Railroad Company’s controversial proposal to expand its solid waste handling at its Hawleyville rail terminal at 30 Hawleyville Road.

IWC members had been poised on October 28 to resume the hearing, which had started on October 14, but in an October 27 letter, Stephen Goldblum, the manager of Newtown Transload, LLC, requested that the hearing be delayed.

Newtown Transload is the firm that would run the expanded waste handling operation for the railroad. The railroad proposes significantly expanding the tonnage and also increasing the range of solid waste that it transfers from heavy trucks onto railcars for shipment by rail for disposal at out-of-state landfills.

In the letter, Mr Goldblum writes, “Due to the extent of the information that you have requested and the difficulties presented by the recent weather, we ask that you table your review of our application until the November 18 meeting.”

IWC Chairman Anne Peters recommended to members that the hearing be postponed until November 18, noting that the IWC typically honors such requests.

IWC members Philip Kotch and Mary Curran noted that some members of the public had attended the session to address the agency’s wetlands review of the project.

Ms Peters, who is attorney, said she would be concerned about allowing the public to comment on the wetlands application in view of there being no railroad representative at the meeting. Ms Peters suggested that the IWC accept written comments from the public, but not allow people to speak on the matter.

Ms Curran said that not allowing the public to speak on the wetlands issue poses an inconvenience for people.

Dr Kotch then recommended that written comments be accepted by the IWC, but that verbal comments not be allowed.

 Rob Sibley, the deputy director of planning and land use, noted that the town attorney recommended that the public hearing be postponed, as had been requested by the applicant.

IWC members then unanimously agreed to accept written comments but not verbal comments, rescheduling the hearing to November 18.

One resident then presented documents to the IWC. Several people who had apparently attended the session to speak on the wetlands application then left the meeting.

The town government’s opposition and local citizens’ opposition the railroad’s waste expansion proposal has focused on the possible adverse environmental effects of the project, especially the potential for groundwater contamination in the area.