Residents urge board to reject Green Ridge landfill; cite water, traffic and permitting concerns

Residents told the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors on April 8 that the proposed Green Ridge landfill should not be approved, arguing the project threatens wells, roads and the county’s rural character.

Public commenters addressed the board during the scheduled public comment period and repeatedly urged supervisors to favor county residents over the company proposing the landfill. Dave Myers, a resident who has participated in local opposition efforts, said, “You need to make a decision whether or not you're going to work in an area that you're going to serve the people or you're going to work with a corporation.”

The comments coalesced around three themes: potential contamination of private wells and groundwater, heavy truck traffic and road impacts on rural roads, and the project’s outstanding regulatory approvals from state and federal agencies. Gina Martin, referencing a submission from multiple advocacy groups, told supervisors the document “contains very valuable reasons as to why the CUP or this mega landfill should not be put in Cumberland County.” Roger Verney criticized comparisons the applicant made to other landfills and said he found the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s records did not support the applicant’s claims: “According to EPA, and I looked it up, federal EPA, there is no comparison. None.”

Speakers also pressed the board to seek more citizen input through a Landfill Advisory Board and to review prior survey and comprehensive-plan guidance. Several commenters noted the project’s incomplete permitting from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies and said that regulatory gaps should bar local approval. Reslyn Clinton and other residents expressed worry about trash and road condition on routes near existing disposal sites and urged the board to consider long-term community impacts.

The board did not take a vote on the landfill during the public comment period. Planning staff earlier in the meeting noted multiple pending conditional-use permit (CUP) and rezoning applications countywide; Green Ridge’s proposal remains before the planning process. No formal action approving or denying the landfill was recorded in the meeting transcript during this session.

The board acknowledged public concern and said the topic will remain under review within the county’s planning and permitting process.