By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — County council member Neil Smith served as moderator for a public meeting with those concerned about possible dumping of coal ash in Pickens County last Thursday at the Liberty Civic Auditorium.

“Our intent is to gather as much information, as far as the facts,” Smith said at the meeting. “We’ve got a lot of conflicting information. I just talked to Sen. (Larry) Martin and found out something that I didn’t realize that gives me a little more heartburn about the whole issue. That’s why we’ll be trying to find out what exactly the controversy is about. What we’ve got to do is get the real answer, not just various opinions.”

Smith promised that microphones would be available so that questions from the crowd could be heard.

“We will try to get as many answers through as we possibly can,” Smith said. “If we don’t get an answer tonight, we’ll send them to the county, to our delegation, send them to DHEC … and try to get these questions answered.”

Smith said the controversy surrounds land in Pickens County that was purchased by a company known as MRR in 2007.

“At that time, the county had nothing in its rules or procedures that would prohibit a Class II landfill from coming into the county.”

Smith explained that a Class II landfill is a construction and debris landfill. The county has been operating a Class II landfill for 40 years.

Smith estimated that there were “close to 100” Class II landfills in the state of South Carolina.

According to a regulation set by the Environmental Protection Agency, coal ash or coal residual has been downgraded from a hazardous material to a material that has to go into a lined landfill, Smith told those in attendance.

“And that’s where we’re starting to run into problems. Because in the past a lined landfill in this state was a Class III landfill,” Smith said. “And this company was trying to use a Class II landfill.”

“And apparently we were the first in the state,” Smith continued.

Smith reported that Rep. Davey Hiott had gotten a bill passed in the state house which would keep coal ash out of Class II landfills.

“Sen. Martin has a similar bill waiting — the rules are different in the state senate,” Smith said. “What we need is to find out how we can help him get that through.”

Smith complained about DHEC rules.

“DHEC seems to see this as something they can change the rules in midstream,” he said.