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The
PORT TIMES RECORD P O R T J E F F E R S O N • B E L L E T E R R E • P O R T J E F F E R S O N S TAT I O N • T E R R Y V I L L E
Vol. 36, No. 2
December 1, 2022
$1.00 Photo by Raymond Janis
Dancing in the rain
Santa Parade a success despite inclement weather — A12
Garbage grief: PJ Village and DEC clash over landfill permit changes in state regulations, throwing the future of these services into question. In an exclusive interview, Mayor Margot Garant summarized the nature of the permit dispute between the village and DEC. For decades, the government has renewed its DEC permit every five years to continue operating the landfill. With its permit set to expire on Dec. 11, the village reapplied but met unforeseen resistance. “Unbeknownst to us in 2017, there were changes in some of the regulations concerning landfills throughout New York state, and they became much more strict,” Garant said. “We got a letter that we weren’t meeting the needs
BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM
The Village of Port Jefferson is in a complicated permit dispute with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation over its solid waste landfill at Harbor Hills. The Port Jefferson Village Clean Solid Waste Landfill, a 1.9-acre kettle hole located on the Port Jefferson Country Club property, has been historically operated to facilitate branch and leaf removal services in the village. In 2017, the small landfill was impacted by
of the new statutory regulations for landfills.” She added, “They basically had classified our little kettle hole to be regulated like a landfill equivalent to the Town of Brookhaven [landfill].” Garant referred to the pre-2017 regulations as manageable for the village, requiring breakdown and transport of the debris, among other workable conditions. The new rules, however, will “be impossible for us to comply with,” the mayor said.
An unusual landfill
David Tonjes is a research associate professor at Stony Brook University’s
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Department of Technology and Society. His research focuses on solid waste management and the environmental impacts of landfills. While the Port Jefferson site is officially listed as a landfill regulated under the Long Island Landfill Law, Tonjes described it as distinct from other landfills throughout the area. “It’s unusual because it doesn’t have a liner system, which is required for all landfills on Long Island,” he said. “As far as I know, it doesn’t have any landfilling functions, which is to take things in, cover them up, and manage STORY CONTINUED ON A14
Thinking about the future Career Day returns to Terryville Road Elementary School
Holiday tree lightings on the North Shore
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