Protect Free Speech and Forest Lake From Casella

**We have exceeded our fundraising goal AGAIN thanks to some offline donations, thank you everyone who has contributed to the defense of free speech and the right of environmental watchdogs to sound the alarm without the threat of being SLAPPED by a multi-billion dollar corporation in an effort to silence us!  We are in this together!  Jon 7/26/20
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My journey into the world of trash began on April 3rd, 2019.  A garbage company, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. of Rutland, VT came before the Town of Dalton Planning Board with what many and myself would call a very sneaky "lot line adjustment" relative to a large piece of land in which they have an option to purchase agreement with the current owner.  The intent of this ruse was to carve out a 50 ft "buffer" surrounding the future site of their planned 180-acre garbage landfill adjacent to Forest Lake and Forest Lake State Park.  The 50 ft swath of land would be retained by the original landowner in an effort to make him the ONLY abutter and thus, the only person to have to be notified when this unscrupulous, corporate predator submitted its permit applications to NH DES.  This would also remove the NH Division of Parks and Recreation from notification.  Nice introduction to the community, huh?  Fortunately, this effort failed as the Planning Board denied it.

Since that fateful day, I have worked tirelessly for over a year in learning more about this company.  It has been an exhaustive year, with numerous sleepless evenings spent learning more and more about this company, its business practices, its history as a bad neighbor, and a bad business partner to numerous host communities who have had the misfortune of being host to one of Casella's garbage landfills.  This company's bad reputation precedes them, and only a smidgen of that information has been logged on the website I created, SaveForestLake.com, not long after that initial introduction on April 3rd.

Subsequently, my efforts to oppose this terrible development gained supporters, as a vast majority of our North Country neighbors were made aware of the ill intentions of Casella Waste Systems and their plans to create a 180-acre landfill only 1/4 of a mile from the waters edge of Forest Lake.  What could go wrong, right?  We, the concerned citizens of the North Country, became an opposition movement and in partnering with others not only across the state, but across the country, have had a VERY successful year in raising awareness of the threat to come and throwing roadblocks in the path of this multi-billion dollar garbage profiteer. 

Initially, I was told by Dalton town officials that there was NOTHING to be done because Dalton had no zoning.  However, I was informed of certain state laws that allow for adoption of Emergency Temporary Zoning by Special Election and I began a petition drive and gathered over 100 signatures.  Following that, Dalton residents voted to empower the Town of Dalton with RSA: 674:24-29 Emergency Temporary Zoning, as Casella preyed upon tiny and rural Dalton BECAUSE we had no zoning ordinance.  We enjoyed  a major victory in July, 2019, passing the measure 154-129, and despite the heavy-handed lobbying efforts of this company.   We even have a piece of state legislation, HB1319, that passed the NH House by a vote of 189-123 that would establish a 2-mile setback for the siting of any new landfills next to a NH State Park.  That bill now awaits the reconvening of the NH Senate for consideration in committee.  

Fast forward to last week, when I was notified by the media, NOT the Coos County Sheriffs Dept, that I was being sued by Casella Waste Systems for defamation in a 16-page complaint.  The media notified me on the very same day the complaint was filed, April 14, 2020.  The media had been notified nearly a week before the Sheriffs Dept served me!  The media also received a press release AND an op-ed from Casella CEO John Casella!  Obviously, a PR stunt from a very desperate company as they have come to realize that thru our efforts to sound the alarm, they may find themselves homeless in New Hampshire in the very near future. 

This lawsuit should be troubling to ALL of us as it seeks to silence me, and shut down my website.  A multi-billion dollar corporate entity based in Rutland, VT has decided it has had enough of my year-long effort to shine light on their dismal record and reputation.  I cannot help it their reputation precedes them.  Thank God for the Internet as we have been able to uncover so much about this company, its violations, plethora of lawsuits, and overall efforts to bully its way in host communities from NY to ME to achieve ITS goals, despite the will of those communities.  I have shared my opinions, based on the factual data and news reports I have uncovered, and have concluded that this is a bad company, with a very bad reputation, surrounded by controversy nearly everywhere it turns up, and this current threat to our North Country way of life needs to be broadcast far and wide.

I only ask for your help because we are all in this together.  This development will not only impact our lives, it will negatively affect generations of North Country residents to come.  This is the perfect opportunity to send YET AGAIN another message to this corporate bully that they cannot silence our voice, we are a free people and have a right to be heard, and we do not want, nor need their 180-acre landfill in Dalton, NH.  In fact, over the course of my research, I have subsequently learned that our state actually does not need this importer of out of state waste at all as we have plenty of existing landfill capacity for decades to come, especially if we can rid ourselves of 1 of the 2 major importers and reduce what we waste as a society.  We do not need Casella Waste Systems in NH, Casella Waste Systems needs NH in order to succeed in its goal of creating a home for the future disposal needs of its garbage empire in Dalton. 

I hope you will add your voice to mine and support my legal defense with whatever you can afford during these trying times.  Even a $5 donation helps, as you can send a message to Casella Waste Systems and tell them that the North Country will not be bullied into silence with this frivolous SLAPP lawsuit meant to harass and silence those opposed to their plans and presence.  Like the Northern Pass fight, we can win this if we stand together!

Thank you,

Jon Swan
Founder, Save Forest Lake 
(603) [phone redacted]
[email redacted]
http://www.SaveForestLake.com

Please Help Us To Save Forest Lake!  Dump Casella!

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Let's put a stop to the predatory consumption and mismanagement of our natural resources in New Hampshire.  
 
Do not allow this proposed development to scar the beautiful landscape of the North Country for generations to come.     



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