zate's blog

A hearing before Judge Michael Nettles will determine whether or not DHEC has the authority to force the residents in and around Marlboro County to accept a mega-dump in the community. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the Marlboro County Courthouse. The proposed location for the landfill is between Highways 38 and 177, just south of Hamlet, NC. It is for 6,500 Tons Per Day, over twice what is allowed by NC Statutes. Two articles below the fold:

From The State, Columbia, SC www.thestate.com

State regulators have given polluters breaks, withheld information from the public, pushed development over the protection of natural resources and angered residents from Greenville to Charleston. Has the agency that's supposed to safeguard the environment and our health lost its way?

The U.S. House of Representatives could vote as early as this evening on funding for new nuclear weapons and missile defense.

Congratulations to Cape Fear Citizens for a Safe Environment on stopping one of the proposed mega-dumps in NC! (See Cape Fear's website, www.stopthedump.com , to see if you think importing "auto fluff" from all over the world is "environmentally friendly").

One mega-dump down, four to go: Camden, Hyde, Columbus and Scotland. Veronica Carter of NC Conservation Network reminds us that:

"It isn't over until we pass legislation to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone in North Carolina again".

Below the fold, excerpts from an article in the Wilmington Star: www.starnewsonline.com

The Rally against Mega-Dumps in Laurinburg last night was a great success; and the BOC meeting afterwards, quite interesting. Below the fold is the write-up in the Fayetteville Observer under the headline: Tempers flair over landfill.

The Fayetteville Observer reporter left the meeting before the Board returned from closed session. The Laurinburg Exchange article adds:

"Several citizens were allowed to address Commissioners after the Board returned from closed session but [BOC Chair] Willis had not informed them they would have the chance to speak during the meeting when he initially closed the public forum".

Scotland County Of Tomorrow is sponsoring a Rally against mega-landfills on Monday, April 2nd, at 6:00 p.m., at 1404 West Boulevard, in Laurinburg, before a Commissioner's Meeting,
across the street at 7:00 p.m.
The SCOT website includes a map. www.nomegadump.org

The first landfill bill is expected next week, so this is a good time for a state wide Rally. If you are unable to attend, letters to the commissioners, to the editor, or to SCOT to be read at the Rally, would be appreciated. Contact information is on the website: www.nomegadump.org

Recent Scotland landfill activities below the fold: