Citizen Input Made THE Difference in Sludge Safety Study

In our July meeting, DEP Deputy Director Randy Huffman said to Sludge Safety Project members, "Your involvement with the Legislature is why we are here. Citizens do push the government. We are here dealing with this issue because of the concerns that have been raised. And that’s the way it should work."

Huffman also told us he heard us "loud and clear" when we said we would doubt the validity and credibility of the slurry injection study unless independent scientists were allowed to take and analyze slurry samples.

As Winds of Change went to press, DEP contended that it had no regulatory authority to take independent scientists onto coal company property.

However, attorney Derek Teaney has identified several state statutes from which DEP could derive that authority if the agency so desired.