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<br />incorporated a public input, participation and open meeting component that allowed any <br />county resident to understand, follow and become involved in the process. <br />Through a series of work sessions and public information meetings the BOCC has <br />labored to develop meaningful and relevant search criteria that appropriately reflected <br />their and the community's environmental and social ethic, including substantive <br />discussions and careful decisions regarding environmental protection, environmental <br />justice, impacts on surrounding neighborhoods, site size, utility availability, zoning and <br />land use, permitting, travel distance and routing, and numerous other search elements. <br />Weighting and ranking factors were painstakingly discussed and decided. Input <br />regarding environmental justice was requested from the Human Relations Commission. <br />Significant and preeminent focus was given to conducting a fully public process that <br />included extensive opportunity for public awareness and comment, documentation <br />availability, and a transparent process. Alternative technology feasibility has been <br />evaluated, presented and found to not be cost-effective at the level of tonnage that Orange <br />County generates. At least as important the project consultant determined that the siting <br />process for a waste combustion facility or similar technology has been judged far too <br />long to meet the community's needs; a period of seven to ten years is the expected length <br />for facility development. <br />Over the past twenty years several attempts at a regional solution to managing solid waste <br />have been made by or on behalf of Orange County by the Landfill Owners Group, staff, <br />Triangle J COG, Towns, and various individual elected officials. These efforts have <br />included alternative technologies, multi-jurisdictional landfills and transfer stations and <br />joint recycling programs. None of these attempts was successful for various reasons. <br />However, Orange County continues to be willing to discuss any legitimate alternatives to <br />handling its waste with responsible parties. It is highly likely that genuine long-term <br />solutions to waste management could result from partnering with our neighbors and/or in <br />pursuing a technological opportunity. However, it is the short-term reality that is now <br />before us. We have the challenge we have, not the one we want. <br />Discussion <br />Numerous issues have been raised lately regarding the transfer station site search process <br />and criteria, especially now that the BOCC is in the later stages of decision making. Very <br />little was new information and very few issues surfaced that had not been discussed or <br />considered by the BOCC or its technical consultant. There are virtually unlimited <br />adjustments or revisions that could be made to the adopted criteria, ranking, or weighing <br />or other factors. The BOCC was challenged regarding a number of criteria and choices <br />were made through compromise and consensus. <br />We could engage another consultant. We could seek further alternative technologies in <br />hopes that there is some magic garbage bullet or black box that will make the waste <br />disappear. We could revisit site size, the issue of availability of public utilities, <br />alternative technologies, traffic, environmental justice, or any other criteria or factors. <br />2 <br />