The Department of Environmental Protection Friday issued its first Environmental Assessment review letter to Keystone Sanitary Landfill in Lackawanna County regarding the facility’s permit application for expansion.

The letter is the first evaluation by the department of the potential environmental harms and benefits of the proposed expansion. This standard step is to ensure that all of the information in the application is complete and relevant.

The environmental assessment process is the first step in the permit application review under the municipal waste landfill regulations. DEP identified several outstanding questions in the application that must be resolved, including details on long-term plans for the facility and odor mitigation.

“When reviewing landfill permit applications, DEP conducts detailed reviews to ensure that every possible scenario is covered,” said DEP Northeast Regional Director Mike Bedrin. “In this instance, DEP is asking KSL to submit more complete design details for the proposed life of the project as well as expanded discussion of the potential harms of the project, how those harms will be mitigated and proposed benefits of the project.”

Keystone, which is located in both the boroughs of Dunmore and Throop, filed an application with the department in March of 2014 for a vertical expansion within 435-acres in its existing permitted area. That permit application is still under review by the department.

In addition to the technical review letter, a 60-day comment period was held in early 2015 to hear citizen concerns, as well as a meeting with municipality officials.

Keystone will have 90 days from the time it receives the letter to respond to the environmental assessment.

A copy of the letter is available online. 

For more information related to consideration of the Keystone Landfill expansion permit, visit DEP’s Northeast Regional Office Community Information webpage.

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10/19/2015