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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Environment - Update on fight over Pines transfer station permit

The ILB may have temporarily lost track of this dispute. The last entry indicating its status is this one from Dec. 19, 2006, which began: "Our most recent earlier entry on the Pines transfer station in NW Indiana was posted Oct. 12 and reported that plaintiffs plan to appeal the environmental law judge's opinion."

Today Tom Wyatt reports in the Gary Post-Tribune:

Officials from Porter and LaPorte counties continue to fight a proposed waste transfer station on County Line Road.

A Marion County judge earlier this month denied a petition by Porter and LaPorte counties, as well as the towns of Pines and Beverly Shores, that appealed a September 2006 ruling that upheld the granting of a permit to Great Lakes Transfer LLC for the transfer station.

Great Lakes is planning the waste transfer station on County Line Road north of U.S. 20 on the LaPorte County side of the road.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management granted Great Lakes a solid waste facility permit in late 2005, but area residents raised pollution concerns and cited possible harm to nearby dunes.

Porter County officials have fought the station by denying to grant a driveway permit for the project. LaPorte County and town officials joined the fight by claiming IDEM issued the permit improperly, given the fact Porter County denied the driveway permit.

But an Office of Environmental Adjudication judge last September ruled the permit was properly granted. A Marion County judge upheld the ruling July 13.

Porter County attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger said she is filing a motion to correct errors made by the Marion County judge. Expecting the motion to be denied, Rinkenberger said she will then take it to the Indiana Court of Appeals. [emphasis added]

The ILB would like to post the July 13th Marion County ruling, just as it posted the Sept. 16, 2006 ruling of the Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication (access it here). Please let me know if you can provide a copy of the July 13th ruling, either electronically or by fax.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 26, 2007 08:45 AM
Posted to Environment