Estill Co. Concerned Citizens rally about radioactive waste dumping

A local minister tells the crowd gathered at the Estill County High School football field, “Father we realize that you left us here to take care of this earth…We apologize for what man kind has down to your creation.”

Someone in the bleachers yells, “Yes sir.”

The Concerned Citizens of Estill County pray that they soon will be able to find some answers.

The minister says they’re “looking from every source that we can put together.”

They’re seeking answers about how radioactive waste ended up being dumped in Blue Ridge Landfill just across the street from the High School and Middle School and why the state won’t be able to seek criminal charges.

Tom Bonny, one of the organizers of today’s rally says, “It’s just confusing to understand that people can bring things that is not permitted by state law into our landfill and it not be criminal in nature. That’s what we don’t understand.”

Ryan Bradney, a pastor in Winchester, doesn’t even live in Estill County, but he’s joined the fight because of the lack of accountability after multiple open record requests have been denied by the state.

He says, “We have the right to know what those numbers are. There hasn’t been enough disclosure on the part of state officials and we want to know.”

The county has been fighting this since the very beginning and on the same day that Attorney General Beshear announced that he would not be seeking criminal charges the county filed a lawsuit of it’s own against the landfill for breaching it’s host agreement on multiple violations.

Estill County Judge Executive Wallace Taylor says, “it’s still an ongoing investigation and we have been working with some other lawyers to get this proposed and as we continue to find additional information there will be additional charges filed.”

For now it’s a waiting game to see how the county’s civil suit will play out and if the Cabinet for Health and Family Services will levy any civil penalties of it’s own.

Bonny says they’ll “see what’s going to happen and not forget.”

On Tuesday Taylor will testify at a special legislative council hearing in Frankfort as he seeks more information from the state.