Have you noticed that Carbon County seems to be the dumping ground for pollutants or waste from outside the county? For years, toxic soil from New Jersey has been brought into Palmerton and dumped at the West Plant site. Apparently, soil that is toxic in New Jersey becomes “clean cover” when it enters Pennsylvania. We are seeing sewage sludge from urban areas like Bethlehem and Allentown spread on farm fields in Carbon County. It is a cheap way for these cities to get rid of a problem. And again, this sewage sludge, containing heavy metals and toxic chemicals, becomes organic fertilizer when it is spread on Carbon farms.

The proposal to burn tires in Nesquehoning is just another exercise in dumping on Carbon County. The plant has been burning waste coal since 1992, but it doesn’t burn our waste coal (which would help us get rid of our culm banks). It imports the waste coal from other counties and burns it here. Likewise, the tire shreds will not come from Carbon County helping to clean our streams or landscape. They will also be imported from other parts of the state and even from outside the state. Once again, Carbon gets the air pollution and someplace else gets the benefit.

One of the reasons the organization Save Carbon County was formed was to make it harder for Carbon to be the recipient of even more “LULUs” or Locally Unwanted Land Uses. LULUs like the proposal to burn waste tires typically end up in locations where the population is considered complacent or without the resources to put up a fight.

If Carbon County residents have had enough, we have got to make our voices heard. Contact our state representative, Doyle Heffley and our state senator Dave Argall and let them know that we are done with “LULUs.”

Linda Christman, President

Save Carbon County

Lehighton