Army for a Clean Environment Calls Out Rendell for Broken Promises on Toxic Dumping

The following letter to the editor was submitted to the Lehighton Times News, the Hazleton Standard Speaker, the Pottsville Republican and 30 other newspapers across Pennsylvania. Co-author Dante Picciano is the executive director of the Army for a Clean Environment, a grassroots environmental health advocacy organization based in Tamaqua. Kennedy is a Hometown resident and an ACE member.

To the Editor:

We are writing to share with you and your readers our personal experiences with Governor Ed Rendell in regard to the dumping of wastes in our communities. On November 19, 2003, Governor Ed Rendell was the guest on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) “Call-In” Program. One of us (Hilary Kennedy) asked the governor the following question: “I’d like to know your position on the dumping of New York harbor sludge in Pennsylvania.” Governor Rendell answered: “Well, easy question to answer. I’m against it.”

On May 17, 2004, Governor Ed Rendell was again the guest on the PCN “Call-In” Program. Hilary Kennedy asked the governor the following: “Governor, on November 19, 2003, on this same show, you stated that you were against the dumping of New York harbor sludge in Pennsylvania. I want to know why then did you allow the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on March 2, 2004 to issue a general permit for the dumping of New York harbor sludge throughout Pennsylvania?”

Governor Rendell responded “Well, again, there’s a Supreme Court decision that bars us from issuing a blanket rule that says we can make no out of sludge …, no out of state sludge, no out of state garbage, trash, whatever. There’s a Supreme Court decision that says one state cannot put up rules to bar that. What I said is that we would try our very best to limit the levels of trash or sludge that could be put into any one area and thereby limit the amount of sludge that came from out of state.”

Also on the May 17, 2004 PCN “Call-In” Program, Dante Picciano asked Governor Rendell “What is your position on House Bill 2275, the Water Dredge Material Municipal Regulation Act, that gives residents of an affected community a vote on the use of New York harbor sludge in mine reclamation projects in their community?” Governor Rendell answered, “Well, I'm not for letting anything be decided by referendum and that would be what this bill would try to do, Dante.”

On July 14, 2004, Governor Rendell addressed a demonstration crowd outside the Schuylkill County Art and Ethnic Center in Pottsville. At that time, Governor Rendell approached Dante Picciano and gave him his fax number. He told Dante Picciano that if he would fax him a letter with our complaints, he would personally see that the complaints would be investigated and that he would get back to us. On July 15, 2004, we faxed Governor Rendell a letter with our concerns about the dumping of river sludge and fly ash in our communities. To date, we have not received a response from Governor Rendell.

On April 26, 2006, Governor Rendell addressed a demonstration crowd outside the Fire Department in Coaldale. On this occasion, Governor Rendell offered a face-to-face meeting with Dante Picciano and other protesters. Specially, Governor Rendell stated, “The only thing I can say to you, I’ll be happy to see three or four of you in Harrisburg or in Philadelphia. If there is some company, an independent company, that you are going to be happy with [conducting the tests], I’m willing to spend the money for it.” To date, Governor Rendell has failed to schedule our face-to-face meeting.

Dante Picciano
Tamaqua, PA

Hilary Kennedy
Tamaqua, PA