Environmental Groups Oppose Government Plan to Burn Green Waste On St. Croix

As St. Croix plans to burn accumulated green waste, environmental groups push for amendments to the 2017 “Ban the Burn” bill, advocating for sustainable disposal methods

Seven years after the Legislature banned the burning of vegetative debris from Hurricanes Irma and Maria due to an environmental campaign, the same coalition of environmental groups are again advocating against the practice as the V.I. government plans to burn piles of green waste on St. Croix.

The planned burn comes as a result of a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. late last year, said Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency Daryl Jaschen. The burn is meant to be a “solution” to the accumulated green waste at the V.I. Waste Management Authority landfills. Mr. Jaschen said FEMA has not yet set a date for the burn, which is being deemed a demonstration.‌