Brentwood planners discuss state solid‑waste transfer permit in Epping and notification concerns

The Brentwood Town Planning Board spent a substantial portion of its meeting reviewing a state solid‑waste transfer station permit application submitted to the Department of Environmental Services (DEES) for a proposed facility in Epping.

Board members said they had received registered mailings in 2024 notifying the town of the application but that the letters did not specify the towns’ questions or the issues the towns wanted addressed. One member urged caution before opposing the project wholly, saying towns should reserve judgment until the state’s hearing process and any local site‑plan submission are clearer.

Concerns raised included traffic and truck counts — a commenter summarized a petitioning town’s worry that 700 tons per day could translate into roughly 35 heavy‑truck loads a day — and whether the facility would take out‑of‑state waste. The permit application, the board was told, indicates the facility would accept waste generated in New Hampshire and that processed material may be shipped out of state for disposal.

Board members also discussed the regional‑impact process and whether the planning board would be formally asked to declare the project a project of regional impact; RPC staff had indicated the application might be declared regionally significant but that the local planning board will make that determination when the town’s site‑plan application is filed. Several members recommended asking the state when and how it will hold public meetings and recommended the planning office continue gathering state notices and share them with the board.

No formal vote or town-level directive was recorded at the meeting. Board members said they could submit a letter or comment once more specific questions or a local site‑plan application were received.