“No” to WIN Waste Innovations

None of the selectman candidates say they support expansion of the ash landfill at trash incinerator

By Mark E. Vogler

SAUGUS – None of the seven candidates running for the Board of Selectmen say they support expansion of the ash landfill at the WIN Waste Innovations trash-to-energy incinerator on Route 107. Four incumbent selectmen stated emphatically that they oppose any expansion.

Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano didn’t state a position, but he said he “doesn’t see the state ever prohibiting them from dumping ash.” And for that reason, he said that he “took an advantage of that,” by forming the landfill committee which developed a Host Community Agreement proposal that compensates the town “economically and environmentally” if the state allows expansion of the landfill in the future.

Sebastian DiModica and Sandro Pansini Souza – the two candidates challenging the incumbents – said they need more time to research the situation before taking a position.

Those were the answers to the only common question asked by Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) at its candidates’ forum held Wednesday (Oct. 25) at Saugus Town Hall. This was the only political forum held for the seven candidates running for selectmen in the Nov. 7 Town Election. (Please see this week’s “The Advocate Asks” for statements the candidates gave SAVE indicating their “environmental vision” for the town.)

Selectmen voted 3-2 earlier this year to adopt a proposed HCA that several called “an insurance policy” in case the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) allows expansion of the ash landfill. It’s the town manager’s responsibility to negotiate any HCA.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra Panetta and Michael Serino voted against the proposed HCA. Cogliano and Selectmen Corinne Riley and Jeffrey Cicolini voted in support of the HSA. But Riley and Cicolini each insisted during their remarks at the SAVE forum that both oppose expansion of the landfill. That April vote was a contentious one, which had some critics characterizing the three selectmen who backed it as pro-expansion.

Riley told the crowd at the SAVE forum that it was an inaccurate assessment of where she stood. “Not only have I not voted to extend the ash dump – which we don’t have the authority to do, but I have voted ‘an insurance policy’ for Saugus where if DEP continues to extend the ash pile, we would receive significant emission improvements at WIN,” Riley said.

DEP officials have advised Saugus that existing environmental laws in place will not permit WIN to expand the ash landfill. But if the DEP decides to extend the ash landfill again, “we’ll be happy to have this insurance policy,” Riley said.

“So, no, I do not want to favor expansion,” she added.

Cicolini, who cast the tie-breaking vote on the tentative HCA, said he agrees with Riley’s analogy to the “insurance policy.” “I absolutely do not support expansion of the ash landfill,” Cicolini said.

“I have lost faith in MassDEP’s ability to truly do what’s right. It’s not the Board of Selectmen’s decision that they’re going to expand the ash landfill. We have no authority over granting authority to expand an ash landfill,” he said.

While negotiating the HCA, Cicolini said he believed it was important to have a plan in place just in case “DEP fails us again.” “If the state lets us down and we don’t have a Host Community Agreement, then they don’t have to improve anything. NOX levels can stay where they are and it’s business as usual,” Cicolini said.

Cogliano said that if the state once again allows farther expansion of the ash landfill, the town would be in a good position to protect itself under the proposed HCA. “If we get 25 years of free tipping, we’ll see $30-million and we can have a huge environmental win for the town,” Cogliano said.

“If we do nothing as we’ve done in the past and we hold our ground, they could get full expansion from the DEP and we receive nothing. The plan we put forth from the landfill committee is a great insurance policy for the town. Should they [WIN] get that extension, we’re going to benefit financially – finally,” Cogliano said.

But Serino insisted that the HCA proposed by selectmen wasn’t necessary. “I honestly believe that we can do better than expanding the land ash pile. I think we have to look at opportunities to develop the property that would provide a greater long-term benefit to the town,” Serino said.

Serino referred to two tax agreements with Wheelabrator. He cited a 1984 tax agreement that stipulated the town and Wheelabrator would work together or assist in development of the landfill. He also mentioned a clarifying tax agreement in 1994 that stipulated that once the landfill is no longer being used for storage of ash, the property shall be taxed as commercial property.

In 2017, Wheelabrator submitted plans to the Planning Board to subdivide the 248-acre landfill into 10 commercial lots, Serino recalled. Wheelabrator’s engineering firm noted that several potential uses for the property included an industrial park and a solar farm.

A few years ago, Saugus installed a solar farm at the DPW. The town manager negotiated a tax agreement of $20,000 a year, according to Serino. “If you had a solar farm at the WIN 248-acre landfill, it could potentially generate $1.2 million a year,” Serino said.

“Consequently, over the 25 year period, Saugus could receive an economic benefit of $31-million. And this will keep going on forever, forever, forever vs. a 25-year pile of toxic ash in the dump,” he said. “So, I believe that continuing to dump ash there for another 20 years so we can get a 100 foot high ash pile isn’t the way to go. We should be looking at ways to economically develop that now.”

Panetta said she supports recent legislation by state Rep. Jessica Ann Giannino (D-Revere) – whose 16th Suffolk District includes Precincts 3 and 10 in Saugus – and state Rep. Jeff Turco (D-Winthrop) that would cap the landfill when it reaches its maximum height of 50 feet in 2025. “We all know it was supposed to be closed back in December of 1996,” Panetta said, noting that the plant’s owners received “many extensions” over the years.

“The MassDEP came right to the Town of Saugus and said under current regulation, they cannot expand,” Panetta said.

“I do not want them to go up to 100 feet. I am very concerned about the health and the wellbeing of our community. The area is in an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. That was done in 1988 because of the environmentally sensitive area that’s there,” she said.

“It’s an unlined landfill that would never happen today. It’s an old technology. We need to do better,” she said.

Serino and Panetta have taken the previous position that the proposed HCA crafted and approved by selectmen was unnecessary because it’s the responsibility of Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree to negotiate HCAs – not selectmen.