Opposition Mounting to Controversial Blackstone Cleanup Plan

LINCOLN, RI – Dozens of local residents and elected officials from both Lincoln and Cumberland attended an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on October 8 to voice their concern about the EPA’s proposed cleanup plan for a Superfund site on the Blackstone River.  The EPA released its plan for remediation this past summer.  After learning more about the proposal, local officials, neighbors and community groups are voicing major concerns.  Chief among the fears are that the EPA plan would require the cutting and removal of almost every tree across 50 to 70 acres of land and prevent re-use of the area for recreational or passive use.

Elected officials from Lincoln and Cumberland who attended the hearing and spoke against the EPA proposal included Lincoln Town Council President Keith Macksoud and John Flynn, who represents the neighborhood most impacted.  Councilman Bill Murray of Cumberland also attended.  In advance of the meeting, the Lincoln Town Council approved a resolution encouraging the EPA to provide the community with a more sensible plan “that leaves as much of the existing vegetation in place as possible” and “keeps the Blackstone River open and accessible to all.”   The Cumberland Town Council is also expected to consider a similar resolution next week.

The Peterson/Puritan, Inc. Operable Unit 2 (OU2) Superfund Site consists of the inactive, privately owned J.M. Mills Landfill, an unnamed island, and a parcel of land just north of the Pratt Dam bordering Cumberland and Lincoln .  The Blackstone Valley Bike Path is directly across the river from the clean-up site.

In addition to the local residents and local officials voicing concern about the EPA proposal, several community groups are also stepping forward to weigh in.   Most recently, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (BRVNHC) penned a letter asking the EPA to develop a plan that includes no physical or psychological barriers to the Blackstone.   The Blackstone Heritage Corridor is a program of successful partnerships between federal, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations, all of which work together pursuing a common agenda for preservation and revitalization of the Blackstone.

“The approach must allow for continued access to and from the Blackstone River and its shores for recreation and tourism,” said Charlene Perkins Cutler, Executive Director of the BRVNHC in her letter.  “A denuded landscape along this National Heritage Corridor results in a de facto barrier, which in turn constitutes a blight on this most valued national resource.”

BRVNHC also requested that the EPA provide illustrative site/concept plans to help determine if the proposal is consistent with their Congressional goals “and to consider whether the proposed solution avoids a significant adverse impact to the resources of our National Heritage Corridor.”  (To see the BRVNHC letter in its entirety,click here.)

The Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, one of the state’s most widely respected business organizations, also spoke out on the issue, expressing the organization’s disappointment with the EPA’s lack of communication and dialogue with the public regarding its proposed cleanup plan.

“We are not satisfied with the EPA’s communication with the public and surrounding community as they prepare to make a final decision on an important project in the Blackstone River region,” John C. Gregory, President & CEO of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce said recently.   “We look forward to learning more about the proposed cleanup plans and finding a safe and smart solution to this project, but we can’t do it unless the public knows about it and the EPA should be doing everything possible to engage them, not ignore them.”

The EPA is accepting comments on their proposed plan until November 6.   To learn more about the project you can visit www.BlackstoneCleanup.com

Leave a comment