HAZLETON — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Wednesday announced that it will host a public hearing to take testimony from residents regarding the proposed Northeast Waste Transfer Station (NEWT) in Hazleton.
The hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hazle Township Volunteer Fire and Rescue building, 1113 North Church St., Hazle Township.
Representatives from DEP and NEWT will be on hand to listen to the testimony.
The proposed municipal waste transfer facility is to be located near 455 East Broad St. (State Route 93), Hazleton. The facility would accept municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and demolition (C&D) waste that is anticipated to primarily originate from Luzerne County and its neighboring communities.
The proposed maximum daily waste acceptance is 700 tons/day and the proposed operating hours are from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
North East Waste Systems, LLC, applied to DEP for a municipal solid waste transfer station permit in February 2023. The permit application was deemed administratively complete in April 2023.
A public meeting to answer questions from residents about the project and the permit review process was held on Wednesday, May 31. The public comment period for the application will close on June 30. Written public comments will be accepted up until 4 p.m. on that day.
Those who wish to submit written comments can send them to Colleen Connolly, Regional Communications Manager, at — coconnolly@pa.gov — or to Erica Bloxham, Environmental Specialist, at — ebloxham@pa.gov.
The permit application is available for public review at the DEP Northeast Regional Office (NERO), 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, and a copy of the application can also be viewed on DEP NERO’s website — www.dep.pa.gov.
Those wishing to view the application in person can do so at NERO during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and can schedule an appointment by calling 570-826-2511.
A portion of Hazleton City near the proposed transfer station is considered an Environmental Justice (EJ) area by the department. According to DEP’s currently adopted EJ Policy, the project will have an enhanced public participation processes appropriate to the project scale. An interpreter will be on hand at the hearing to accommodate Spanish-speaking residents.
The Department requests that individuals wishing to testify at the upcoming public hearing to register with Colleen Connolly, Regional Communications Manager for DEP Northeast Regional Office at — coconnolly@pa.gov.
Requests to offer testimony will be accepted up to the day of the hearing. Individuals that wish to offer testimony will be allotted 5 minutes to speak. Those who pre-register will be given priority.
Persons with a disability who wish to participate and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation should contact Colleen Connolly at — coconnolly@pa.gov — or the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at — (800) 654-5984 (TDD) to discuss how the Department can meet their needs.