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WSHU | By Shelley Hassman Kadish - January 24, 2024
A state Supreme Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit to block construction of a solid waste transfer station in Yaphank to haul trash off Long Island.
In a ruling this month, state Supreme Court Justice Joseph Santorelli threw out the argument that the Brookhaven Town Board was not in compliance with a settlement that governs development of the site. The town board had voted to approve the development of a transfer station that would move construction trash off Long Island by rail.
The state NAACP and the nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment said they will appeal.
Brookhaven officials said the transfer station will be needed when the permit for the town landfill ends in 2026. The landfill is expected to stop accepting the 60% of waste from construction and demolition debris the facility receives by the end of this year.
Town Supervisor Dan Panico said earlier this month that Brookhaven will likely seek a permit extension through early 2028 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Panico plans for the facility to continue to accept waste that is burned into ash until capacity is reached, despite ongoing investigations into waste-to-energy company Covanta and a separate state-mandated assessment of a toxic plume emanating from the landfill into nearby groundwater.