Compost operator facing jail time
A southern Maine composter who has been battling with state environmental regulators could spend 50 days in jail for ignoring orders to cease operations.
Robert St. Onge, owner of Winterwood Farm in Lyman, was found guilty last month of contempt of court and sentenced to six months in jail with all but 50 days suspended for refusing a court order to suspend operations, according to the Portland Press Herald. It's the latest development in the dispute between the agricultural composter, once the state's largest, and the Department of Environmental Protection stemming from a 2005 rain storm that led to pollution from the farm running into a nearby brook. The state found that the farm was violating environmental law and eventually ordered it to cease operations. St. Onge continued to accept waste until he was charged with contempt of court this spring, according to the paper.
St. Onge is appealing the ruling, which will delay his serving of the sentence. He has argued the DEP has not been flexible in allowing him to find a solution to the pollution problem, and accuses them of blocking USDA funds he has requested. The appeal is expected to go before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court next year, according to the paper.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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