Some people will stop at nothing to stink up South Carolina … with trash from other states, no less.
Take “MRR Southern LLC,” a North Carolina-based company that has been pushing for several years to locate a massive “mega-dump” trash landfill in Marlboro County, S.C. – this despite overwhelming local opposition to the project as well as statewide landfill capacity data which clearly shows that South Carolina has no need for such a facility.
In 2008, a whopping 94% of Marlboro County residents voted against MRR Southern’s plan to locate a mega-dump in their county, one of the most lopsided local referendum results in state history.
Of course, this near-unanimous display of local opposition (as well as a more formal rebuke of MRR’s plans by Marlboro County government) has done nothing to stop these politically-connected trash peddlers – who have several powerful State House politicians in their hip pocket, including S.C. Rep. Doug Jennings (D – Bennettsville).
The latest chapter in the ongoing saga?
MRR Southern has (believe it or not) filed a federal lawsuit against “Citizens for Marlboro County,” the local grassroots group that is opposing its ongoing campaign to stink up their backyards.
From SC Now:
The North Carolina group MRR Southern LLC filed a federal lawsuit in Florence against Citizens for Marlboro County and is seeking damages related to what MRR lawyers call a “smear campaign” launched against the company by the group.
MRR obtained a preliminary determination from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control that their plans were consistent with the Marlboro County Solid Waste Management Plan, according to federal court documents filed in November by MRR attorneys.
But the dump was highly-contested by Marlboro County residents and the proposal for the project was denied in 2009 by Marlboro County Council and the county planning commission, which serves in an advisory capacity.
One of MRR’s top lawyers in the case is none other than former S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian. Also, MRR has used multiple combinations of prominent State House lobbyists and law firms in the past, but they are currently represented in the legislature by former S.C. lawmaker William D. “Billy” Boan, a lobbyist who was previously chief of staff to former Gov. Jim Hodges (D – Lancaster).
Talk about some serious hired guns – at least on the democratic side of the aisle.
Anyway, we have yet to assess the technical merits of MRR’s lawsuit, but given the obvious demerits of its bogus landfill plan, this move strikes us a diversionary tactic – something company executives hope will shift public attention away from the fact that they are trying to steamroll a poor, rural South Carolina county into taking tons of trash from other states.
That stinks … literally.
The people of Marlboro County – and their local elected representatives – have clearly and unambiguously spoken on this matter.
Their message?
MRR Southern needs to find another place to dump its trash.
By countryboy January 9, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Thank you for saying what the crooked politicians in this state don’t have the ethics to say. A former congressman whose district included Marlboro County (John Jenerette) said it best – “Money talks and bullshit walks”.
By Soft Sigh From Hell January 9, 2010 at 2:55 pm
NYC has a joke: “We were going to send out garbage to Haiti but South Carolina gave a lower bid.”
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 9, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Our Funding Editor is delighted that sic(k) willie continues to expand his income sources. For brazillions of years he’s depended on Howie’s voucher scam money to stay solvent. Great to see he’s getting other garbage money.
By Ron January 9, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Suing a grassroots group?
What’s next? Imprisoning the fog?
By No Way! January 9, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Soft Sign is full of trash. He is evidently from a trashy part of SC!
By River Rat January 9, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Harpootlian? Somebody is spending some money. Anywho, it has been our experience down here in Marlboro & Chesterfield county that our politicians don’t give a sh*t what the citizens want, its all about them, their wants, and lining their pockets with the green stuff. This lawsuit is probably a strategic game deployed by the politicians, MRR, and their attorney’s. They know that this grass roots group doesn’t have the finances to fight them and their $100k retainer attorney. The will wear down their opponent with litigation, thereby breaking their will and causing them to dwindle their resistance. Ultimately, MRR gets their dump. Marlboro county residents, my advice to you is to put your property up for sale and get the hell out of dodge.
By Dusty January 10, 2010 at 11:13 am
Damn Carpetbaggers
By Soft Sigh From Hell January 10, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Most conservatives in SC, and elsewhere, prostrate themselves before big business interests. No Way the naked mole rat as much as invites this garbage to SC, perhaps not personally per se but by the way he votes. It doesn’t matter that Hartpootlian and Boan are Dems, it is a conservative “big and especially well-connected business gets what it wants” state. That’s practically a definition of today’s conservatism.
By hardyboys January 10, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Keep fighting Citizens. You have done what no other group in S.C. has done–not let the trash dumpers walk over you. Don’t get the “hell out of Dodge” as trash dumpers want you to do. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. You will WIN and Win Big! As for Harpootlian, put it in your back yard, “garbage lawyer”.
By Ynotfirst January 11, 2010 at 6:56 am
Whatever happened to that ” Super Fund Clean Up”??
That clearly lined pockets.
Is this the start of another one of those projects?
By Skidmarks January 11, 2010 at 7:32 am
So, former U.S. Rep. John Jenerette really said, “Money talks, and bullshit walks”?
Was that before or after he was arrested for shoplifting shoes?
By Philip Branton January 12, 2010 at 7:50 am
Hey Sic…….
You know exactly how Arab Soil is being better protected than South Carolina Soil by having new technology installed ….
http://www.qinetiq.com/home/markets/energy_environment/energy_from_waste.html
What citizens are not being told is that this technology will cut out all the landfill scamming and actually be a positive for home land security due to the fact that it de-centralizes energy production into the grid system.
LANDFILLS should be outlawed if the truth were reported and explained.
Here we are protecting troops from having to leave their bases and getting trash trucks blown up by roadside bombs; but when it comes to installing these machines to protect our own environment and the troops family on the homefront—–our Good Ol’ Boys just shuck and jive and ruin their own state.
This is disgusting….
By dumpers June 29, 2010 at 9:59 am
Whatever happened to that ” Super Fund Clean Up”??