Online input: EPA creates Web page on Countywide
By PAUL KOSTYU
The Times-Reporter
COLUMBUS - The Ohio EPA has established a Web page containing public documents related to its orders for Countywide Landfill and Recycling to fix problems associated with two underground fires.
The state agency also set up an e-mail address for people to send comments about and suggest possible project ideas for a $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund that EPA Director Chris Korleski created. The fund is intended to help the communities affected by the landfill.
Local residents will be getting a notice detailing the information from Melissa Fazekas, deputy director of communications for the agency.
The Web site will contain documents that Countywide submits to the EPA, the agency’s responses to those documents and related correspondence.
“While the Web page will give everyone near-immediate access to Countywide’s submittals, Ohio EPA does not plan to publicly comment on information contained in these documents prior to issuing formal, written responses, which will be posted on the Web page,” said Mike Settles, a spokesman for the agency.
In March, Republic Services of Ohio, the owners of Countywide, agreed to the findings and orders by the EPA intended to end the odor nuisance and underground fires at the landfill in Pike Township. The orders included creating the Community Benefit Project Fund.
The landfill closed the 88-acre section affected by the fires and was ordered to pay a $1 million fine. Republic has until May 28 to submit a plan to the Ohio EPA on how it will extinguish the fire. The agency believes that once the fire is gone the odor will dissipate. Last week, the Stark County Board of Health renewed the landfill’s operating permit.
Fazekas said Korleski wants community projects that benefit the largest number of people within the affected area. She said the agency will accept comments for 30 days, after which the criteria for selecting projects will be finalized and posted on the EPA’s Countywide Web page.
The Web site is www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/countywide.html. The e-mail address is communityfund@epa.state.oh.us.
The Times-Reporter
COLUMBUS - The Ohio EPA has established a Web page containing public documents related to its orders for Countywide Landfill and Recycling to fix problems associated with two underground fires.
The state agency also set up an e-mail address for people to send comments about and suggest possible project ideas for a $250,000 Community Benefit Project Fund that EPA Director Chris Korleski created. The fund is intended to help the communities affected by the landfill.
Local residents will be getting a notice detailing the information from Melissa Fazekas, deputy director of communications for the agency.
The Web site will contain documents that Countywide submits to the EPA, the agency’s responses to those documents and related correspondence.
“While the Web page will give everyone near-immediate access to Countywide’s submittals, Ohio EPA does not plan to publicly comment on information contained in these documents prior to issuing formal, written responses, which will be posted on the Web page,” said Mike Settles, a spokesman for the agency.
In March, Republic Services of Ohio, the owners of Countywide, agreed to the findings and orders by the EPA intended to end the odor nuisance and underground fires at the landfill in Pike Township. The orders included creating the Community Benefit Project Fund.
The landfill closed the 88-acre section affected by the fires and was ordered to pay a $1 million fine. Republic has until May 28 to submit a plan to the Ohio EPA on how it will extinguish the fire. The agency believes that once the fire is gone the odor will dissipate. Last week, the Stark County Board of Health renewed the landfill’s operating permit.
Fazekas said Korleski wants community projects that benefit the largest number of people within the affected area. She said the agency will accept comments for 30 days, after which the criteria for selecting projects will be finalized and posted on the EPA’s Countywide Web page.
The Web site is www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/countywide.html. The e-mail address is communityfund@epa.state.oh.us.
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