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This is in response to Betty Myers’ letter that appeared in the Herald on Jan. 22.  Ms. Myers questions the length of time for a permit to be issued.  In December 1970, Congress created the EPA.  It took six years before Congress passed the Resource Conservation Recovery Act on October 21,1976 requiring EPA to promulgate regulations affecting municipal waste landfills.  This was one of the best pieces of legislation ever approved impacting the environment.

I’ve heard many comments concerning the proposed landfill but have yet to hear one person from the CCLA (Cumberland County Landfill Alert) group suggest how they would dispose of the 4.9 lbs. of waste produced per person, per day in the United States (EPA statistics).

I grew up on a farm. Fifty years ago, every farm had a gully filled with old batteries, oil cans, tires, etc. including hazardous waste.  Water ran through the waste affecting our water supply.  Does the opposition really want to return to those days? Isn’t it much better to have a regulated facility which will be continuously monitored?  If a problem occurs, it can be corrected quickly. Without landfills, our backwoods and gullies will be filled with trash once again.

Ms. Myers talks about protecting our environment.  The best way to protect our environment is to control the source of waste.  

Gene Brooks
Cumberland