“The time for talk is coming to an end. It’s time for solutions and the leaders of New York State to get their heads out of the clouds, their feet on the ground, and come to solutions based in reality,” exclaimed Brookhaven’s Dan Panico, the supervisor of Suffolk’s largest town, in addressing the island’s looming garbage crisis.
The town’s massive landfill in Yaphank is running out of room and is slated for closure in 2027. The loss of this waste management hub will have ripple effects across the region, impacts that will lead to increased costs to taxpayers. The big question: How much?
“The motto of this state is Excelsior, which is Latin for ‘Ever Upward,’ which is quite appropriate for New York, a state that has historically distinguished itself as a leader in this nation,” Panico stated. “I say historically because right now, we are not leading. In fact, there is an appreciable lack of leadership when it comes to realistic waste management and energy policies, which many do not realize are tied together on Long Island.”
Panico referenced a recent $250,000 state grant to Stony Brook University to study the problem. “When I saw the headline, I could have told you exactly what was written without reading it—The same discussion about reducing waste and a looming ‘crisis’ without addressing issues in the context of what I would refer to as reality,” he said.
Panico warned that Long Island’s geography “cannot be discounted or forgotten in terms of solutions to this issue.” Second, he noted, “Recyclable materials are commodities. We all should recycle and reuse as much as possible and should expand recycling, but commodities have value when there is a market for them. If there is no market, then recycling doesn’t work very well.”
Third, and most important in terms of municipal solid waste, is the Long Island Power Authority extending the power purchase agreements for waste to energy facilities, according to Panico, who took the reins of Brookhaven government nearly year ago after 13 years as a councilman.
“As I go around this town, speaking at a variety of community groups, chambers of commerce, and civic organizations, it’s surprising to know how many people don’t realize that all the waste dragged out twice a week to the curb in their garbage cans does not go into the landfill,” Panico pointed out. “All of it goes to a waste-to-energy facility where it is burned to create power, while the volume is substantially reduced. Those waste-to-energy facilities have power purchase agreements that expire in 2027.”
If LIPA, which he characterizes as an entity controlled by the state, does not extend the purchase agreements, “they will be singularly responsible for the cataclysmic effect it will have on our region in terms of dramatic tax increases and public health. There is no other way to say it, and municipal governments on this island need some certainty from our state to plan accordingly, and 2027 is around the corner.”
According to the Supervisor, the primary reason why the power purchase agreements are not being addressed is the “financially and fundamentally unrealistic” goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed by the Democrats in 2019. “I say that as a person who leads a town that works daily to plan for and address climate change as well as lead this island in terms of alternative energy with aspirational goals grounded in pragmatism and reality,” Panico stressed.
The CLCPA mandates the elimination of fossil fuels and the conversion of the state to all-electric by 2040, an act that will prohibit the waste-to-energy facilities that currently handle Long Island’s waste. Recent studies by Cornell University and the New York Independent System Operator concluded that the CLCPA’s dictates are completely unworkable and will lead to massive blackouts.
Stony Brook will use the state money to conduct a study of the trash and recycling programs of municipalities such as Brookhaven through its Waste Reduction and Management Institute. They have hired environmental attorney Michael White to spearhead the effort, which is expected to investigate how towns and villages can handle household garbage, construction, and demolition debris once Brookhaven’s landfill closes.
“We must not allow idealism to triumph over reality with disregard for the limitations we have when it comes to finances, technology, geography, and the marketplace,” Panico concluded. “Pragmatic idealism should be the goal of our state government when it comes to our policies on waste management and energy, but in order to achieve that goal, our leaders must quickly get their heads out of the clouds and feet on the ground.