Lawsuit Filed to Prevent Bethlehem Landfill From Expanding Into Lands Preserved by Conservation and Woodland Easements

On August 14, 2023, eight Lower Saucon Tp residents filed suit against Lower Saucon Township and the Bethlehem Landfill to protect the 275 acres of forest from landfill destruction. In their suit, residents Bruce and Ginger Petrie, Andrew and Tina Krasnansky, Bob and Elizabeth Blasko, and Bob and Cindy McKellin claim Lower Saucon Township and the Bethlehem Landfill are violating the Donated and Dedicated Property Act by rezoning and attempting development on forest lands above the Lehigh River. 

At one time, the City of Bethlehem owned and operated the Bethlehem landfill. It also owned surrounding tracts. In 1994, it adopted two conservation easements and a woodland easement. The conservation easements preserve 208 acres of landfill property for scenic and conservation purposes and specifically exclude landfills. The woodland easement, which applies to 8 acres, is intended to preserve undisturbed woodland. It was binding on both the City and future owners to preserve the Delaware and Lehigh Canal Heritage corridor as well as "the original character and scenic nature of the land."  

Most of these residents live next to or near the buffered land/ In his lawsuit, Attorney Gary Asteak refers to them as third-party beneficiaries of the easement. He seeks to enjoin expansion into this conserved area. 

Why Bethlehem, which has adopted a Climate Action Plan, has failed to enforce these easements itself is anybody's guess.   

Williams Township Residents Organize to Oppose Landfill Expansion

On Saturday, I told you about vegan scrapple. I'm convinced that, and all other forms of this porkie puddin', are all part of a some twisted Pennsylvania Dutch attempt at mind control against outlanders.

Fortunately, I never fell for their fiendish plot.

Chrin Landfill in Williams Township is full of that toxic waste. Even seagulls and sewer rats avoid it. Those that make the mistake of taking a nibble either die instantly or soon start walking around, muttering "Say now!" or "Kissin’ wears out, cookin' don’t.”

But landfills do. They get full, and the Chrin boys would like to expand.

As you know from a previous post, they've dumped $230,350 in legal bribes (campaign contributions) on state office candidates since 2000. Interestingly, not a dime of that money has gone to state rep. Bob Freeman, whose district includes that dump. During much of this same time, the Chrin boys have been meeting in the back rooms with William Township officials and seagulls, according to Morning Call columnist Bill White.

Williams Township residents have formed a grass roots group, The Committee to Save Williams Township. But their web page is called DumpRage for some reason. It makes me think of Rambo on the toilet, not landfills. But that's me.

Anyway, here's what they say. "[W]e deal with the legacy of hazardous waste generated from a national recognized Superfund site. Now, Chrin Companies has petitioned the locally elected supervisors to change township zoning and permit the expansion of the landfill.

The proposal is bad for people, bad for the environment, bad for quality of life and bad for property values!"

The web site also contains petition downloads for residents in either Williams Township, the Easton Area School District or Wilson Area School District. The email address for this group is info@dumprage.org.

Williams Tp Residents Oppose Landfill Expansion, But Seagulls Love it!

Easton has been called the "greatest recycler in the Lehigh Valley" by Morning Call columnist Bill White. That's no compliment. Instead of soda cans, White's comment is aimed at city leadership, from Mitman to Panto to Mrs. Panto to Stu Gallaher to Larry Palmer.

If Easton is the greatest recycler in the Lehigh Valley, nearby Williams Township leaders are the Kings of solid waste. Williams is home to Chrin Landfill, whose fumes murder nearly every Jersey resident who dares enter Pennsylvania from Route 78. On summer days, the smells are so bad I've seen skunks hitchhike the hell out of there. Chrin should bottle that stuff and sell it to the Pentagon.

Iranian problem solved.

Like any filthy rich businessman, Charles Chrin would like to be richer. That's, after all, the American way. So he wants to expand his landfill, and has been meeting in the back rooms with William Township officials and seagulls since 2001, according to Bill White. He also decided to send residents a brochure, "Growing Greener in Williams Township," which makes the absurd argument that a landfill expansion will actually beautify the area. I'm sure most sewer rats would agree with that.

But where the Chrin family is making its real pitch is to the pols and judges. Since 2000, that family has donated $230,350 to candidates seeking state office. $11,450 of that has gone into state senator Lisa Boscola's pockets. Cha ching! But a lot more is going into the black robes of judges who will decide his zoning challenges. How much has he given to local candidates? Your guess is as good as mine - those records are unavailable online.

The Express Times reports that 1,700 Williams Township residents have signed a petition opposing this landfill, and township officials have received over six hundred comments. But forty-three river rats and 784 seagulls are all for it.

Christopher Greene, a Williams Township resident, explains why this expansion should be rejected in a very well-written and heartfelt essay.

"For 10 years, I have called Williams Township my home. Nestled in the hills south of I-78 in Easton, Williams Township offers beautiful views, enjoyable neighbors, and an outstanding athletic association for my children. Williams Township is also home to the Chrin Landfill, located right off of I-78 on Industrial Drive.

"Chrin has been in Williams since the 1960’s. We all produce garbage and it has to go somewhere, so the wonderful people of Williams Township have been living with the landfill in their backyard, doing their part of the garbage equation. Chrin seems to have an interesting relationship with the township and its residents. On one hand, Chrin gives away mulch every year and has donated funds to one of the playgrounds. But he has also levied several lawsuits against the township costing residents significant sums of dollars (over $160,000 in one case alone). In another of those lawsuits (still pending), supervisors are named directly.

"Chrin recently began negotiations with the township to allow for an expansion to the landfill. This expansion would come in the form of a zoning change - allowing 22 acres now zoned for Light Industrial to be zoned for landfill use - after which Chrin would have to gain DEP approval. On December 18, 2007, residents of Williams Township were invited to an informational meeting held at the Philip Lauer Middle School. During that meeting, Chrin and the township supervisors together were selling the idea of the landfill expansion with a 13 page PowerPoint presentation. Residents had an option of making comments and were told that they could post comments to the township website until January 14th. Residents also attended the regularly scheduled supervisors' meeting on January 7, 2008 to ask further questions. In total, residents have submitted more than 600 comments to the supervisors, most being against the landfill. An action committee (Committee to Save Williams Township) has also collected over 1,700 signatures on a petition against the landfill expansion. No doubt, more signatures are on their way.

"I am personally against allowing the expansion of the landfill. First off, the expansion makes no business sense. While the proposal increases the municipal host fee, it does so slowly over time and never reaches the current state average for host fees. So Williams gets an expanded landfill that yields little, if any, positive revenue. Not only that, there is no formal proposal for the expansion. Residents only have the PowerPoint presentation to go on – no formal proposal for residents to understand all the terms and conditions associated with the expansion. Secondly, the township supervisors have done no due diligence. No financial impact study has been done (property devaluation, effects of inflation on any increased host fees, etc.) nor has any environmental or health impact study been done. The supervisors appear to be flying blind.

"Chrin does offer a few 'incentives' in the PowerPoint such as open space, athletic playing fields, and a promise to drop litigation against the township. None of these incentives is worthy in my opinion. Last time I checked, land adjacent to a landfill is pretty much useless so any open space offered would remain as open space even if Chrin didn’t give it to the township. As the landfill exists today, portions have been labeled as a Superfund site. The proposed athletic fields sit adjacent to the landfill property. The last thing that I want is for my children (or anyone else’s children) to be breathing in toxins and carcinogens on a regular basis. As far as the promise to drop litigation – I truly question the ethics of such a negotiation tactic on Chrin’s behalf. Any supervisor with a lawsuit over his or her head, would be making decisions under duress.

"The last reason I oppose the landfill is that such a zoning change will set the precedent for more landfills in Williams Township. If the supervisors change the zoning for one landfill, all one needs is a 100-acre plot of land, zoning change, and you now have yourself a brand new landfill. A comprehensive plan was put in place in 2000 (which Chrin agreed to) limiting the expansion of the landfill back then. Why isn’t that plan enforced? What has changed?

"Regardless whether you agree with the landfill expansion, what bothers me more is the method and process the supervisors have engaged in during these negotiations. Such methods and processes make me wonder what else is going on in Williams Township.

"As stated, the supervisors were 'selling' the idea of the expansion to residents at the initial informational meeting to the point where residents were asking whose side the supervisors were on. Most of the negotiations with Chrin have gone on behind closed doors in 'executive session' – even so far as meeting at Chrin’s location. Meetings regarding the negotiations have been barely posted (I found one for a January 8th meeting conveniently posted behind a Christmas wreath at the municipal building). When asked for minutes of executive sessions, the township manager has maintained residents are not allowed to such information.

"This makes me wonder if the supervisors are looking to allow the landfill expansion so they can get ANY increase in the municipal host fee to help pay for their 'Taj Mahal' of a public works building ($3.2 million -14 bay ultimate garage). When the township is looking to spend $130,000 on kitchen furniture in this new building, I begin to wonder – where’s the money going? So when residents asked for access to the general ledger of the township and our solicitor maintains that residents are not allowed to such information, I again question the ethics in Williams Township.

"At the end of the day, Williams Township has been living with a landfill in their back yard for years. We have had the understanding since 2000 that no expansion would be allowed. Now, supervisors will go back on their original word. In the meantime, we have supervisors conducting closed-door executive sessions under legal duress and residents are allowed little if any access to pertinent information in the dealings of our township, including financial dealings of the township. Whether you are for the landfill or not – one must recognize that the governing methods of Williams Township are questionable at best."