Public Hearing Notice for the Draft Hazardous Waste Siting Plan and DGEIS
A significantly amended version of the proposed New York State Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Plan is available for public review. The Siting Plan, required by state Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Section 27-1102, is primarily intended to assess the State's capacity for managing hazardous waste in accordance with State and Federal law, and to assure adequate availability of industrial hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities into the future. The final adoption of a Siting Plan is a prerequisite for the siting or significant expansion of certain new hazardous waste facilities in New York.
With the draft plan, DEC has also issued a draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for public review. The GEIS evaluates and addresses any potential impacts the Siting Plan may have on the environment. However, it does not replace the need for a separate and distinct site-specific EIS for any hazardous waste management facility that is proposed to be sited or expanded in New York State in the future.
Both the draft GEIS and Siting Plan are available on the DEC website.
Hearings have been planned across the state to provide an initial opportunity for public comment. The hearing locations are reasonably accessible to the mobility-impaired. Interpreter services can be made available to the hearing-impaired at no charge, upon request to the Department within a reasonable time period prior to the hearings. A second round of hearings will be scheduled after comments on the current draft are evaluated and a revised draft is published.
All persons, organizations, corporations, government agencies, and others wishing to comment on the proposed Siting Plan are invited to attend the hearings and to submit either written or oral statements. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker to afford everyone an opportunity to be heard. Lengthy statements should be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. Written statements received prior to the close of the public comment period and oral statements made at each hearing session will be given equal weight.
The hearings will be held on the following dates and locations:
| Date | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2008 |
DEC Region 4 Office, Conference Rm. 1A, |
518-357-2234 |
| October 28, 2008 |
DEC Region 5 Office, Main Conference Room |
518-897-1200 |
| October 29, 2008 |
DEC Region 6 Dulles State Office Bldg, Conf. Room, Fl.1 |
315-785-2238 |
| November 3, 2008 | DEC Region 3 Office, New Paltz Annex Enclave 4 21 South Putt Corners Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561 |
845-256-3000 |
| November 5, 2008 |
DEC Region 8 Office, Main Conference Room, |
585-226-2466 |
| November 6, 2008 | DEC Region 7 Office, Hearing Room 615 Erie Blvd. West, Syracuse, NY 13204 |
315-426-7400 |
| November 12, 2008 | DEC Region 2 Office, Annex Building Basement 11-15 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101 |
718-482-4900 |
| November 13, 2008 |
DEC Region 1 Office, Room B-02 |
631-444-0345 |
| November 19, 2008 | Niagara Falls Public Library, Main Auditorium Earl W. Brydges Bldg., 1425 Main St., Niagara Falls, NY |
716-286-4905 |
| November 20, 2008 |
Lewiston-Porter High School |
716-754-8281 |
Note that all public hearings will start at 6PM.
Written comments will also be accepted if received by the close of business on November 26, 2008. Comments can be sent to John Iannotti, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Solid and Hazardous Materials, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-7250.
They can also be faxed to (518) 402-9024 or e-mailed to hwsiting@gw.dec.state.ny.us
