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04/18/2018 08:00 AMI’d like to join my voice with the more than 200 Clinton residents who attended the meeting of the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) on April 4 to express opposition to the proposed industrial waste processing facility on the site of the former Chesebrough-Pond’s storage depot.
The Loureiro Engineering firm representing the out-of-state owners of Shoreline Rail & Recycling (SRR) simply used fancy charts and a 100-page application in a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to overwhelm the IWC and public. A lawyer read a disingenuous and threatening letter. It condescendingly stated that it does not matter what the townspeople think, because IWC had already approved the project. The latter statement is false. IWC has not voted on SRR’s proposal. The lawyer for SRR threatened to sue the town if SRR’s proposal is not approved. Finally, representatives of SRR told IWC that it should trust SRR and its representative to preserve the wetlands.
In contrast to these presentations, the opponents of the SRR proposal provided clear, scientific data and practical facts that demonstrated the proposed SRR industrial recycling site will harm our town’s inland wetlands. Two of the speakers in opposition were an engineer and an environmental specialist (Steve Trinkhaus and Darby Hittle). These experts represent the owner of an abutting industrial property on Heritage Park Road. Mr. Trinkaus and Mr. Hittle explained in comprehensible language how SRR’s proposal cannot do what it claims in terms of protecting the inland wetlands. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture also expressed its concern that the proposed industrial waste recycling facility will damage the wetlands, which, in turn, will ultimately destroy the shellfish industry in Clinton.
Clinton needs more tax revenue, but we cannot be short-sighted and approve a project that will have long-term negative consequences on the wetlands, our quality of life, and the town’s economy.
Madeleine Leveille
Clinton