Plainfield Trash Facts

The facts on the proposed trash plant
Plainfield, Connecticut

Timing No formal comment window has opened yet. The clock starts the day DEEP posts its Notice of Tentative Determination. See what to do →

How to be heard

How to Be Heard

To oppose the proposed Plainfield trash plant, you contact the state directly, in your own words. The two decisive levers are a written comment and a 25-signature petition to CT DEEP during its 30-day comment window, and a request for party status before the Connecticut Siting Council once an application is filed. There is no online form, and the town’s referendum did not decide it — the state issues the permits.

This page explains each lever precisely, gives the exact addresses and emails, and is honest about what works and what does not. Every step below is sourced to CT DEEP, the Connecticut Siting Council, or the Connecticut General Statutes.

Right now, the most useful thing you can do is put your concern on the record with both agencies and your legislators — and watch for DEEP’s Notice of Tentative Determination, which opens the 30-day window when the petition must be filed.118

The real levers

The Four Ways to Be Counted

Concern only matters to the permitting agencies when it is filed the way the law recognizes. There are four legally meaningful paths. The first two are DEEP; the third is a tool usable in either forum; the fourth is the Siting Council.

The four legally recognized ways to be counted, and when each is available.
LeverWho can use itWhen
Written comment to DEEPAnyoneDuring the 30-day comment period after the Notice of Tentative Determination2
25-signature hearing petition (PA 25-84)25+ people, one of whom is affectedWithin the same 30-day window1
CEPA intervention (CGS 22a-19)Any person or organizationIn a DEEP or Siting Council proceeding4
Siting Council party / intervenor statusTown, abutters, residents, groupsAfter a Certificate application is filed7

None of these is open at this moment: DEEP has not yet posted a Notice of Tentative Determination, and no Siting Council application has been filed.1018 That is why the immediate task is to be ready.

Lever one & two

The DEEP Comment Window and the 25-Signature Petition

When DEEP is ready to act on a permit, it publishes a Notice of Tentative Determination. That notice opens a public comment period — in DEEP’s standard notices, thirty days from the date of publication — and the exact deadline is stated in the notice itself.21

Two things can happen in that window:

  • Written comments. Anyone may submit written comments on the application. Comments filed during the period become part of the record the Commissioner must consider.2
  • A petition to compel a hearing. A petition signed by at least 25 persons can request a hearing on the application. Under Public Act 25-84, a formal contested hearing is required when the petition shows specific facts that the legal rights, duties or privileges of at least one signer will be, or may reasonably be expected to be, affected — or that a signer qualifies to intervene under CGS 22a-19.1

Abutting property owners and nearby residents are the easiest signers to qualify, because their legal interests are the most directly affected. Petitions may be emailed to the DEEP Office of Adjudications, with signed originals mailed or delivered to its Hartford office.3

CT DEEP, Office of Adjudications
[email protected] 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 061063

Note on the petition

DEEP has recently asked petitioners to file as a “verified pleading” — a sworn legal document. If you are organizing a 25-signature petition, having it drafted or reviewed by an attorney reduces the risk of it being rejected on a technicality. A plain written comment does not need this.

Lever three

CEPA Intervention Under CGS 22a-19

Connecticut’s Environmental Protection Act gives any person, group or organization a right to intervene in an administrative proceeding by filing a verified pleading asserting that the proceeding involves conduct that has, or is reasonably likely to have, the effect of unreasonably polluting, impairing or destroying the public trust in the air, water or other natural resources of the state.4

Once someone intervenes this way, the agency must consider that environmental harm and cannot approve conduct causing it if there is a feasible and prudent alternative consistent with public health and safety.4 A CEPA intervention can be filed in a DEEP permit proceeding or in the Siting Council case, and it broadens the environmental grounds the decision-maker has to weigh. Because it is a verified (sworn) pleading, it is best prepared with legal help.

Lever four

Party Status Before the Siting Council

The plant’s roughly 45 megawatts of generation — the developer’s figure, drawn from SMART’s own gasification power-plant proposal on the CT DEEP regulatory record12 — means it needs a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the Connecticut Siting Council, in addition to its DEEP permits.8 That case has not started; no application is on the Council’s Pending Matters list.10 When it does, the participation rules are set by statute:

  • Party status by notice of intent. Under CGS 16-50n, the host municipality and others entitled to a copy of the application can become parties simply by filing a notice of intent to be a party. Abutting owners and other residents can seek intervenor status by written petition.7
  • A hearing is guaranteed. Under CGS 16-50m, once a complete application is filed the Council must set a public hearing not less than 30 and not more than 150 days after it receives the application.6
  • Parties get full rights. Party and intervenor status lets you submit testimony, question the applicant’s witnesses, and file briefs — the same tools opponents used in the Killingly gas-plant case.
Connecticut Siting Council
[email protected] Ten Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051 · 860-827-29359
Your state legislators
Plainfield is split between State House districts 44 and 47, so use the lookup to confirm which representative is yours. State Senator Somers represents the whole town. Sen. Heather Somers (District 18) · 800-842-1421 Rep. Anne Dauphinais (District 44) · [email protected] Rep. Doug Dubitsky (District 47) · [email protected] Confirm yours by address at cga.ct.gov21
Plainfield Town Hall
860-230-3001 8 Community Avenue, Plainfield, CT 06374 · make your opposition part of the town record22

What to write

What to Say

Keep it short, factual, and your own. A personal letter carries more weight than a copied form letter, because an identical block of text is counted as one message repeated. Build your comment from three parts:

  • Identify yourself. Say you are a Plainfield resident. If you are writing about the plant, that standing matters.
  • Name your street. Give your road or neighborhood. Nearness to the site strengthens your standing, especially for the 25-signature petition.
  • Give one specific concern, in your own words. Pick the one that is true for you and say why it matters to your household.

Any of these concerns is grounded in the verified record. Rephrase one in your own voice rather than pasting it:

Concerns drawn only from the verified record, for you to rephrase in your own words.
ConcernThe point in one line
Truck trafficMore than 100 heavy garbage-truck trips a day, roughly 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., through residential roads.19
GroundwaterThe site sits over the groundwater the town and the state hatchery depend on.
A second plantPlainfield would host a second gasification facility in one town, on Norwich Road / Black Hill Road.1213
No demonstrated needThe state has not shown Connecticut needs this capacity — by its own 2023 accounting it diverted only about 35% of its waste and missed the 60% diversion goal it set for 2024, so the need for a new disposal facility is unproven.581516
Environmental justiceThe site is in a state-designated environmental justice community: all of Plainfield is on CT DEEP’s 2025 distressed-municipalities list, and the census tracts around the project area include block groups above the low-income threshold.1317

Be realistic

What Actually Moves the Decision

Two honest points shape where effort is best spent.

The referendum did not decide it. Plainfield voted 1,148 to 125 against the plant in June 2025, but that vote was non-binding: the state, not the town, issues the permits.19 A 2025 bill (House Bill 7004) that would have let towns challenge permits like this by referendum was vetoed by the Governor on July 8, 2025.1420 The vote is real political pressure, but it is not a legal veto.

The strongest legal argument is “no demonstrated public need.” Two separate statutes require the state to find this facility is genuinely needed before approving it. Before permitting a new resources-recovery facility, DEEP must determine in writing that it is necessary to meet the solid waste disposal needs of the state and will not result in substantial excess capacity (CGS 22a-208d).5 And the Siting Council may not grant a Certificate unless it finds a public need for the facility (CGS 16-50p).8 That is the line of attack that stopped the Killingly gas plant in its first round: the developer could not show the project was needed. Connecticut’s own numbers sharpen the point: in 2023 the state diverted only about 35% of its municipal solid waste and, in DEEP’s own words, “did not meet its statutory goal of 60% diversion by January 1, 2024” — so the state has not shown it needs new disposal capacity when it has not yet done the diversion its own adopted policy calls for first.1516 Comments and testimony that focus on need — not just dislike of the plant — hit the requirement the state must actually satisfy.

What to do now vs. later

A Simple Sequence

Do now

  • Email DEEP and the Siting Council to put your concern on record.39
  • Write your state legislators through cga.ct.gov.11
  • Watch DEEP’s public-notice page for the Notice of Tentative Determination.2

Do the day the window opens

  • File a written comment within the 30-day period.2
  • Organize and file the 25-signature petition before the deadline.1
  • When the Siting Council case is filed, request party status.7

The window is short and the deadline is firm. Missing the 30 days is the single most common way a valid objection never reaches the record.

Questions

Questions and Answers

How can I oppose the Plainfield trash plant?

Contact the state directly. Submit a written comment to CT DEEP during its 30-day comment period, help file a 25-signature petition to request a hearing, and — once a Siting Council application is filed — request party status. Email [email protected] and [email protected], and reach your legislators at cga.ct.gov.19

When is the public comment period?

It has not opened. It begins when DEEP posts a Notice of Tentative Determination on a permit, and runs 30 days from that publication date. No such notice has been posted, so no comment window is open yet.218

What is the 25-signature petition?

Under Public Act 25-84, a petition signed by at least 25 people, filed during the comment period, can compel a formal hearing if it shows specific facts that at least one signer’s legal rights will be affected, or that a signer qualifies to intervene under CGS 22a-19.1

Do I have to live next to the site to take part?

No. Anyone may submit written comments to DEEP, and any person or group may file a CEPA intervention under CGS 22a-19. Living near the site helps most with the 25-signature petition and with Siting Council standing, where a directly affected interest is easiest to show.47

Did the town referendum stop the plant?

No. The 1,148-to-125 vote in June 2025 was non-binding. The state, not the town, decides the permits, and a bill (House Bill 7004) that would have let towns challenge such permits by referendum was vetoed.191420

What is the strongest argument against it?

That there is no demonstrated public need. DEEP must find the facility necessary to the state’s disposal needs with no substantial excess capacity (CGS 22a-208d), and the Siting Council must find a public need before granting a Certificate (CGS 16-50p). Comments focused on need target what the state must actually prove.58

Sources

Where These Steps Come From

Official & regulatory sources

  1. CT DEEP, Office of Adjudications, “Public Act 25-84 and Initiating the Hearing Process” — establishes the petition signed by at least 25 persons, the §4(b) standard that a signer’s legal rights will be affected, and the filing deadline set by the Notice of Tentative Determination. portal.ct.gov/deep/adjudications
  2. CT DEEP, Notice of Tentative Determination (example public notice) — shows the standard 30-day comment period from the date of publication and the 25-or-more-person petition for a hearing. portal.ct.gov/deep/public-notices
  3. CT DEEP, Office of Adjudications — establishes the filing email [email protected] and mailing address 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Adjudications
  4. Connecticut General Statutes §22a-19, Connecticut Environmental Protection Act — any person or entity may intervene by verified pleading asserting conduct reasonably likely to unreasonably pollute, impair or destroy the public trust in air, water or natural resources. codes.findlaw.com
  5. Connecticut General Statutes §22a-208d — before permitting a resources-recovery facility, the Commissioner must determine in writing it is necessary to meet the solid waste disposal needs of the state and will not result in substantial excess capacity. cga.ct.gov, Chapter 446d
  6. Connecticut General Statutes §16-50m — the Siting Council must set a public hearing not less than 30 nor more than 150 days after receipt of an application. cga.ct.gov, Chapter 277a
  7. Connecticut General Statutes §16-50n — parties and intervenors; those entitled to a copy of the application, including the host municipality, may become parties by filing a notice of intent to be a party. cga.ct.gov, Chapter 277a
  8. Connecticut General Statutes §16-50p — the Siting Council shall not grant a certificate unless it finds a public need for the facility and the basis of the need. cga.ct.gov, Chapter 277a
  9. Connecticut Siting Council, contact information — Ten Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051; [email protected]; 860-827-2935. portal.ct.gov/csc
  10. Connecticut Siting Council, Applications and Other Pending Matters — no SMART / O&G / Plainfield gasification docket listed. portal.ct.gov/CSC
  11. Connecticut General Assembly — find your state representative and senator by address. cga.ct.gov
  12. CT DEEP, Materials Management Infrastructure Request for Information — public response filed by SMART Technology Systems, LLC. The developer’s own project on the state regulatory record: its stated gasification-of-refuse-derived-fuel technology, synthesis-gas and fuel-cell power generation, carbon capture, and claimed ratepayer savings. This DEEP-hosted filing is the primary source for the developer’s stated project figures, which are the developer’s projections and not independent findings. portal.ct.gov, SMART Technology Systems RFI response (PDF)
  13. CT DEEP, Environmental Justice Public Participation Plan for SMART Technology Systems, LLC, Norwich Road / Black Hill Road, Plainfield — official DEEP-hosted filing establishing the facility’s location and its status as a project sited in a state-designated environmental justice community. portal.ct.gov, SMART EJ Public Participation Plan (PDF)
  14. Connecticut General Assembly, Bill Status of HB 7004 (2025) — the official legislative record that the bill concerning municipal referenda to challenge certain permit approvals was vetoed by the Governor on July 8, 2025. cga.ct.gov, HB 7004 bill status
  15. CT DEEP, 2016 Comprehensive Materials Management Strategy (adopted) — sets the statutory waste hierarchy under CGS 22a-228(b), ranking source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting ahead of energy recovery, with landfill disposal as a last resort, and commits the state to divert at least 60% of municipal solid waste by 2024. portal.ct.gov, Comprehensive Materials Management Strategy (2016)
  16. CT DEEP, 2023 Solid Waste Disposal and Diversion Report — the state generated about 3.48 million tons of MSW in 2023 and diverted only about 35%; DEEP states it “did not meet its statutory goal of 60% diversion by January 1, 2024,” with more than 940,000 tons exported out of state after the MIRA facility closed. portal.ct.gov, 2023 Solid Waste Disposal and Diversion Report
  17. CT DEEP, Environmental Justice 2025 Set (block groups and distressed municipalities) — live state GIS data placing Plainfield on the 2025 distressed-municipalities list with no grace period, making the whole town an environmental justice community under CGS 22a-20a; three block groups in the census tracts encompassing the project area exceed the 30% low-income threshold. geodata.ct.gov, CT DEEP Environmental Justice 2025 Set

News coverage

  1. Norwich Bulletin via AOL, “Here’s the status of the proposed trash-to-energy plant in Plainfield” — DEEP air and solid waste applications filed; no Notice of Tentative Determination / comment window opened; town permits planned later in 2026. aol.com
  2. Hartford Courant via Government Technology, “Connecticut Residents Object to Plans for High-Tech Trash Plant” — June 2025 referendum 1,148–125, non-binding; joint town-committee letter on 100+ trucks 6 a.m.–5 p.m. govtech.com
  3. CT Mirror, “Lamont finishes review of 2025 bills with a veto” — HB 7004, which would have let towns challenge such permits by referendum, vetoed July 8, 2025. ctmirror.org

Local government & legislators

  1. Connecticut General Assembly, Districts by Town — Plainfield is represented by State Senator Heather Somers (Senate District 18) and, split between House districts, State Representative Anne Dauphinais (District 44) and State Representative Doug Dubitsky (District 47). cga.ct.gov, Districts by Town
  2. Town of Plainfield, First Selectman’s Office — Town Hall, 8 Community Avenue, Plainfield, CT 06374; 860-230-3001. plainfieldct.org

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