Board OKs landfill expansion

County government — Board of Commissioners expected to ratify their decision at Dec. 16 meeting

  • By: David Sale  
  • Published: 11/13/2009 4:02:34 PM
   The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners voted Monday afternoon to tentatively approve the expansion of Riverbend Landfill. The approval will be officially ratified by ordinance at the board’s Dec. 16 meeting.
   “As we discussed in April, this is one of the most important decisions before the board in many years — and a difficult one that was emotional on both sides,” said Commissioner Leslie Lewis. “But looking at the land use criteria, I think the applicants have met the burden of proof.”
   Commissioners Lewis and Kathy George both voted in favor of the land use application, which combines rezoning, a floodplain development permit to reroute a stream on the property, and a state land use goal exemption.
   Commissioner Mary Stern recused herself from the issue last fall when the board first began its consideration. The recusal was due to a potential conflict of interest as her husband works for McMinnville-based Western Oregon Waste, which deposits garbage in Riverbend.
   The expansion will increase the footprint of the landfill by 87 acres, but cap it at its present height of 126 feet above grade, a concession offered by Riverbend parent company Waste Management.
   “We are pleased with the decision and grateful to our many community supporters,” said Waste Management spokeswoman Jackie Lang in a statement. “This decision serves the broad public interest and opens the door to innovation in the future.”
   Lewis, while noting that an alternatives study commissioned by the board did not find a “green” technology presently able to handle Riverbend’s deposits, held out hope for the future.
   “We can work with Riverbend to develop alternatives to landfill storage,” she said. “I think these technologies show promise ... and the board of commissioners can play a role in in seeing that this is the last expansion.”
   As for shipping waste to out-of-county landfills, Lewis said she and George feared the steep potential rate increases such a move would have on commercial and industrial clients, including Newberg’s White Birch paper mill (formerly SP Newsprint), which Lewis specifically cited.
   Meanwhile, opponents of the expansion said they would appeal the decision before the state Land Use Board of Appeals. Since its introduction last fall, the landfill expansion has drawn sharp criticism from nearby property owners and county residents concerned about environmental risks.
   Susan Watkins, president of Waste Not of Yamhill County — the interest group organized to oppose the expansion — said the group had retained the services of attorney William Kabeiseman of the Portland law firm Garvey Schubert Barer. Kabeiseman is a land use law specialist who in 2006 represented a coalition of Dayton-area winemakers in their efforts to block development of a luxury hotel on land zoned for farm use. (The rezone approval was remanded by LUBA and stalled due to the real estate market crisis).
“We had hoped they would deny the application so as to give more incentive to Waste Management to explore alternatives,” Watkins said.
   “The county gave away their control,” agreed leading landfill opponent Ramsey McPhillips. “Waste Management doesn’t have the same incentive to develop new technologies at Riverbend as they would if other firms were competing. I understand the commissioners’ perspective, but from our point of view this is really about harm to farms and farmland.”

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phaight1 from newberg
11/20/2009 9:08:36 AM

"Lewis said she and George feared the steep POTENTIAL rate increases such a move would have on COMMERCIAL and INDUSTRIAL CLIENTS..!" DID LEWIS and GEORGE fear the consequences MORE garbage at Riverbend would have on Newberg's main source of drinking water..THE WILLAMETTE RIVER ! At ELECTION TIME REMEMBER THEIR NAMES.....LEWIS and GEORGE..I hope you will elect people whose priority is the POTENTIAL consequences of losing even more of Yamhill County's farmland!




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