RIRRC Oversight Bills Pass Assembly

Bills sponsored by Johnston Rep. Stephen Ucci, which create a citizens advisory board and prohibit the use of certain materials to cover trash, were recently approved by both chambers of the state General Assembly.

  During its last day in session, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed two bills, sponsored by Johnston Rep. Stephen R. Ucci, which create an advisory board for Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and ban the use of organic materials and construction debris for covering trash at the Central Landfill. “We’ve passed some good legislation that will both protect our constituents and increase efficiency in our landfill facilities,” Ucci (D-Johnston, Cranston) said in a statement. Following the odor problems that plagued the landfill last summer and fall — which led Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena to file suit against RIRRC and Broadrock Renewables, the two companies responsible for capturing gases escaping from the trash pile and …

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Budget, Term Limits, and Road Work: Highlights from Mayor's Live Chat

Mayor Joseph Polisena fielded many questions during the first-ever live chat on JohnstonPatch.

Yesterday on JohnstonPatch, we hosted our first-ever live chat with Mayor Joseph Polisena, and during the one-hour session, the mayor answered questions about several issues, including what's happening at the former Stuart's plaza, combining municipal services, term limits, and other issues. We've also posted a full transcript of the live chat; below are highlights from the Q&A session sorted by subject. Note: Some questions have been abbreviated. LE Joe Hutnak: How is the overall process of preparing the budget going? How close do you feel you are to the goal of level-funding all departments? Mayor Polisena: We're still in the process of putting it all together. We're very close. All departments will be level funded, unless some …

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Landfill Air Test Bill Clears Senate

State Sen. Frank Lombardo III (D-Johnston) sponsored the legislation to require Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to install four new monitors for air quality.

The Rhode Island Senate today approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Frank Lombardo III (D-Johnston) that requires Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to install four new air monitors for the Central Landfill. In a statement released this afternoon, Lombardo said the bill is meant as another step to prevent the odor problems that happened last fall in Johnston and Cranston. “Resource Recovery has an obligation to the health and welfare of its neighbors and the safety of the environment,” said Lombardo. “Fixing a problem after it happens is not satisfactory. The corporation needs to be prepared, to be aware of what is going on before it gets too bad.” Under the new bill, RIRRC would set up four ambient air monitors that could pick up the …

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DEM Hits Landfill Companies With $55,000 Fine

The state agency issued a notice of violation against Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and Broadrock Gas Services today.

In a press release issued today, the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) issued a notice of violation against the two companies that operate at the Central Landfill, a citation that also carries a $55,000 fine. DEM Director Janet Coit said in the statement that the two companies, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and Broadrock Gas Services "failed to maintain the landfill and the landfill gas collection and treatment systems" resulting in a rotten egg smell that affected Johnston and several neighboring communities. Broadrock also delayed telling the DEM that a "remote gas flare" used to burn off escaping landfill gas had stopped working, according to the statement. Instead of notifying the DEM within the one hour …

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RIRRC Director Says Fewer Complaints; What Do You Say?

Is the smell still as bad as it ever was, or have you noticed improvement?

During a Jan. 24 hearing at the State House, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation Executive Director Michael OConnell told lawmakers that the company has received fewer complaints about odors from the Central Landfill in recent weeks, the Providence Journal reported. Prior to the hearing, Broadrock Gas Services, the company in charge of collecting gases escaping from the landfill and converting them to electricity, issued a statement on Monday that blamed RIRRC for failing to properly cover trash and accepting construction debris that Broadrock claimed were the main causes of the smell. According to ABC6, the panel decided to schedule more hearings in the future to allow more public input. [To read more coverage of the landfill smell…

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Broadrock: Landfill Odor Caused By RIRRC's Mismanagement

Officials from Broadrock Gas Services announced that they plan to appear before the Special House Commission on the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) tomorrow.

In a press release issued just before 5 p.m. this afternoon, officials at Broadrock Gas Services LLC, the company charged with collecting gas from the Central Landfill and burning it for electricity, accused Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRCC) management with "spreading misleading information that wrongly attempts to blame Broadrock" for an odor problem that started in mid-Septermber. Broadrock spokesman Bill Fischer said in the statement that officials from the company intend to appear at a hearing of the Special House Commission on RIRRC, set for tomorrow at the State House. House Communications Director Larry Berman said the session is scheduled to begin between 4:45 and 5 p.m. Fischer also said that RIRRC officials "…

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Polisena Updates Council On Landfill Meeting

State and local officials and representatives of the companies that operate at the Central Landfill gathered at Town Hall yesterday, Mayor Joseph Polisena said.

During the Jan. 9 town council meeting, Mayor Joseph Polisena spoke about a meeting he hosted that morning with state and local officials, as well as representatives of Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and Broadrock Renewables, about the continuing odor issue at the Central Landfill. Among the attendees at Town Hall were Gov. Lincoln Chafee and administrators from the state Department of Environmental Management and Department of Health; state Sen. Frank Lombardo; Cranston Mayor Allan Fung; Johnston Town Council Vice President Stephanie Manzi and Councilman Ernest Pitochelli; and representatives of the two companies that operate at the Landfill, Polisena confirmed during a phone interview this morning. "We had about 20 people in …

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Sun Rise: New Group Aims For Cooperation On Landfill Issue

Brian Rea, a Johnston High School graduate, founded a Facebook group called "C.A.N.T.," which stands for Citizens Against Neighborhood Toxins, the newspaper reported.