Sludge Watch ==> Pennsylvania: Stilp Trudges 16 miles for End to Sludge

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b3_1sludgewalkaug29,0,945311.story


>From The Morning Call
August 29, 2006


Stilp trudges 16 miles for end to sludge
Environmentalist leads group hike from Pottsville to Tamaqua.

By Chris Parker Of The Morning Call
Environmentalist and former lieutenant governor candidate Gene Stilp doesn't 
like the idea of using treated human sewage to grow crops.

But he's even more worried about what he sees as a growing lack of local 
control over how communities are run. The state regulates the use of sludge, 
but many believe stronger laws are needed and that each community should be 
able to decide how the stuff is handled instead of having the state 
supersede local law.

So Stilp, of Dauphin County, known for carting a huge inflatable pink pig 
around the state to remind people of last year's controversial legislative 
pay raise, on Monday braved the muggy heat and trekked the 16 miles on Route 
209 from Pottsville to Tamaqua to protest the use of sludge on farmland and 
encourage people to take back their government.

Like-minded walkers from Middleport, Mary-D, Brockton and Tuscarora — many 
who are members of the environmental group Army For a Clean Environment — 
were expected to join Stilp on the way.

''Schuylkill County should not be Philadelphia's outhouse,'' said Stilp, who 
wore a large sign around his neck that said ''Stop the Dumping.''

Stilp took the hike as a show of support for those who are urging their 
local governments to adopt strict rules barring the use of the sewage sludge 
in their communities. Sludge, also known as biosolids, is treated waste 
frequently used as a fertilizer on farmland.

Tamaqua has taken steps to adopt an ordinance that would require companies 
and individuals who plan to use sludge to apply to the borough and meet 
state Department of Environmental Protection standards.

Sludge prepared for land use must be tested by a laboratory and proven to be 
free of pathogens and harmful pollutants, the ordinance states. The borough 
must be allowed to sample the sludge and test it at the expense of the 
applicant.

West Penn and Schuylkill townships have rules in place to regulate sludge.

On Aug. 9, Concerned Citizens of West Penn Township asked county 
commissioners to adopt an ordinance barring sludge from the rural county. 
Bill Mackey, a West Penn Township Democrat challenging Republican incumbent 
state Rep. David G. Argall for his 124th District seat, presented the 
request.

Mackey, along with West Penn resident Herb Woodring, accompanied Stilp on 
his walk.

''According to the Pennsylvania Constitution, we should have the right to 
make decisions in our local communities,'' Woodring said.

Mackey said chris.parker at mcall.com

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