Save Carbon County is circulating an online petition urging the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection not to renew the Northface Project permit when it expires in June 2027.

Speaking at Palmerton Borough Council’s recent meeting, Save Carbon County member Kathy Fallow called the project a “16-year nightmare” and said she recently contacted DEP about odors from the site and damage to local roads.

According to Fallow, DEP said it was unaware of odor complaints and directed residents to file formal complaints. She said DEP also told her it cannot hold Northface responsible for road damage, leaving that to the municipality that owns the roads.

Fallow said DEP confirmed a recent Carbon County Conservation District inspection found Lot 1 on the west end of the site is at or above its final grade, meaning it is ready for construction. She also said DEP acknowledged it had been some time since a joint inspection had been conducted and agreed to schedule one with borough officials.

Save Carbon County has asked DEP to explain why construction has not begun on Lot 1, how much fill remains under the permit, whether the project still qualifies as a beneficial use after losing a $2.4 million PennDOT grant, and whether the site is complying with permit requirements for grading, stockpiling and environmental monitoring.

Fallow said DEP responded the next day, saying it would conduct a joint inspection with borough officials before answering the group’s questions. “We hope the borough will appoint an engineer to examine the site map and attend this inspection so that an expert’s assessment can be provided to the borough,” Fallow said.

Residents also raised concerns about rats. Princeton Avenue resident Lorraine Wertman blamed the infestation on the Northface project, while resident Don Herrmann said the borough’s trash ordinance is not being enforced. Councilman Andrew Hollywood said trash left at the curb often attracts rodents.

Hollywood thanked Save Carbon County for continuing to pursue the issue.

Committee member Linda Christman said the group’s goals are to ensure the project complies with its DEP permit, receives adequate state oversight and is not granted another permit extension unless it results in a development that benefits Palmerton.

Christman said the permit allows 4.19 million compacted cubic yards of fill. As of the end of 2025, about 2.77 million cubic yards had been placed, leaving roughly 1.42 million cubic yards remaining. She said the project would need to average nearly 79,000 cubic yards of fill per month over the remaining 18 months, far above its 2025 average of about 13,000 cubic yards per month.

Councilman Kris Hoffner noted the permit was issued in 2010 and said the borough has repeatedly raised concerns with DEP without success.

The project has faced opposition for years.

In 2021, Palmerton Borough, the Palmerton Area School District and Carbon County rejected a tax-abatement request tied to a proposed warehouse development on the former New Jersey Zinc property. Developers proposed up to 2 million square feet of warehouse space and projected about 1,500 permanent jobs, but no tenants had committed to the site as of 2025.

The petition is available on the Save Carbon County website.