Vote Yes on Proposition 1

Project Description

The expansion proposed would add an additional 107 acres of landfill footprint and raise the maximum height of the landfill by approximately 120 feet at the top. We are also proposing to increase the annual disposal rate to 1,000,000 tons per year. The combination of the tonnage increase and the additional acreage would extend the life of the landfill by about 25 years. Hyland owns over 1,000 acres of land to buffer impacts from the facility.

Community Benefits

Hyland has been a sponsor of many local projects and activities over the years, donating over $250,000, including the purchase of fire equipment and continued mowing of the athletic fields. Hyland has offered, and the Village has accepted, a proposal to provide the Village of Angelica over $500,000 per year for the life of the expansion, based on a $.50 per ton royalty, amounting to over $13,000,000.

The Town of Angelica, since 1998, has received over $12,000,000 in Host Community Fee payments. Under this new proposal, the Town will receive an additional $65,000,000, plus CPI, over the life of the expansion.

Hyland currently has 12 full time and 2-3 part-time employees. We would expect the number of employees to grow to 16 full time and 4-5 part-time employees.

Facility Improvements

Hyland will pay for a third lane up Peacock Hill Road, extending from the I-86 intersection to Herdman road, to accommodate the additional truck traffic and provide for safer local traffic.

The final landfill will be visible from parts of the Village; however, it will be barely noticeable. Most of the expansion area will be to the south, away from the Village. None of the expansion will be closer to the Village. A visual study is being conducted to show the potential visual impacts and will be shared with the community.

Hyland understands that there have been occasional odor outbreaks. Hyland has committed to increasing the amount of gas collection pipe placed in the landfill to collect and destroy the odorous gases. Hyland has also begun more extensive use of temporary plastic caps with the purpose of keeping water out of the landfill and odorous gases in. Our power plant produces 1.6 MW of renewable electricity, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. We have and maintain a 3,000 cubic feet per minute flare to destroy gas in case the plant requires maintenance or cannot accept all the gas.

HYLAND LANDFILL RESPONSE TO ASH LETTER

In an article published in the October 2020 Booster News, a case was made to vote “No” to Proposition 1, a permissive referendum to allow the Town Board to begin negotiations for an expansion at the Hyland Landfill facility. The author focused on two basic points, 1) the federal government has proposed rules that could change the classification of waste from nuclear reactors and, 2) that the time it takes to actually get through a landfill permit process should be used to review more documents and participate in additional public meetings prior to voting and therefore you should vote “No”. 

Point No. 1 

Regardless of what the federal government does, the State of New York regulates all landfills in NY, including solid waste landfills such as Hyland. NY has its own definition of acceptable wastes for solid waste landfills, and materials associated with any nuclear reactor decommissioning would clearly be considered unacceptable at a NY landfill such as Hyland, regardless of any change in the federal classification. As an additional precaution, a clause can be included in the Town Host Agreement precluding any acceptance of nuclear reactor decommissioning waste. The path to get that clause added is through an agreement between the Town and Hyland, which would occur after the permissive referendum is passed. We are happy to publicly acknowledge our support for a clause that bans waste from nuclear reactor decommissioning as part of our ongoing commitment to the communities in which we operate.

Point No. 2

Hyland has been successfully operating here in Angelica since 1998 with a long record of outstanding environmental protection. The author is correct that the time it takes to get a landfill permit is a multi-year process. However, there is very little that is new or unknown about the facility. An extensive understanding of the underlying geology exists and has been reviewed multiple times. Environmental monitoring programs have collected more than twenty years of groundwater and surface water data to ensure ongoing protection of water quality. Any operational changes from the proposed expansion have been identified and mitigations have been proposed and implemented. To mitigate potential traffic impacts, Hyland proposes to add a third lane up Peacock Hill Road. To mitigate minor visual impacts, Hyland has offered the Village a royalty that will amount to over $13 million. To mitigate potential odor concerns, Hyland has committed to adding increased gas collection infrastructure as the facility is constructed.

Regardless, a landfill expansion will require updates to all the environmental studies that currently exist. Information will be made available for regulatory and public review, and opportunities to comment will exist throughout the multi-year permitting process. The referendum on November 3 is simply the first step that allows the Town to start Host Agreement negotiations. As a precursor to those negotiations, Hyland has offered significant, additional funding to the Town and Village. After the referendum passes, negotiations with the Town and work to update the environmental studies can begin. All aspects of the project and studies will provide multiple opportunities for public participation and review.

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like a tour of the facility call Larry Shilling, Market Area Landfill Manager at 585-466-7271. We are happy to be of service to you.