Earth Care Farm LLC, Sterling
Notice of Tentative Determination to Approve an Application to Construct and Operate a Volume Reduction Plant
Applicant: Earth Care Farm, LLC
Application No.: 202503677
City/Town: Sterling
The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) hereby gives notice that a tentative determination has been reached to approve the following application submitted under Section 22a-208a of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Application Number: 202503677
Applicant Name and Address: Earth Care Farm, LLC., 89A Country Drive, Charlestown, RI 02813
Applicant Contact Information: Jayne Merner, Owner, (401) 364-9930; jayne@earthcarefarm.com
Type of Permit/Activity: Permit to Construct and Operate
Facility Location: 220 Newport Road, Sterling, CT 06377
The facility consists of a gravel access road; a scale; a staging area for yard waste and wood chips; a mixing area for incorporation of food scraps and animal manures into the yard waste and wood chips; areas for the formation of composting windrows; a screening area; and areas for maturing compost.
The facility is located on a 14-acre site within a 241-acre parcel of land. The proposed activity is located in the watershed of Vaughn Brook.
The following waste materials may be accepted at the facility: (a) yard waste including leaves and wood chips; (b) sawdust; (c) animal bedding; (d) spent coffee grounds and tea leaves; (e) coffee bean chaff; (f) mushrooms in their growing medium; (g) food scraps; (h) shellfish/fish gurry; (i) seaweed; and (j) manures.
INFORMATION REQUESTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
This application has been assigned No. 202503677; please use this number when corresponding with DEEP regarding this application. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the application from the applicant’s contact noted above. The application and supporting documentation are available for inspection at DEEP, Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division, Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at other times by appointment. Questions may be directed to Justin Williams of the Solid Waste Permitting Program at (860) 424-3113 or Justin.Williams@ct.gov.
Before making a final decision on this application, the Commissioner shall consider written comments on the application from interested persons. Written comments on the application should be directed to Justin Williams, Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division, Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127, or may be submitted via electronic mail to Justin.Williams@ct.gov. no later than thirty (30) days from the publication date of this notice.
PETITIONS FOR PUBLIC HEARING
Petitions for a hearing shall be submitted within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this public notice and should include the application number(s) noted above and identify a contact person to receive notifications. Petitions may also identify a person who is authorized to engage in discussions regarding the application and, if a resolution is reached, withdraw the petition. Petitions shall comply with applicable laws, including Public Act 25-84, which took effect upon passage in June 2025. Upon receipt of a petition, the Commissioner shall take action as required by relevant laws.
Petitions shall be filed with the Office of Adjudications electronically through the E-Filing Service, https://deep-adjudications-cms-efile.ct.gov/. All initial and subsequent filings must be submitted through this system. Under special exception, petitions will be accepted by mail or hand-delivered. Those mailed or delivered should go to the DEEP Office of Adjudications, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. If the signed original petition is only in an electronic format, the petition must be submitted with a statement signed by the petitioner that the petition exists only in that form. Original petitions must also be mailed or delivered to the Office of Adjudications within 30 days of electronic submittal.
Information to assist with the E-Filing System, including how to set up a profile and submit filings, is available here: https://deep-adjudications-publicportal.ct.gov. If a hearing occurs, members of the public can “subscribe” through the Public Portal to receive e-mail notifications of all docket activity. Interested members of the public will also be able to submit their public comment for the hearing the docket webpage.
All petitions must be received within the period noted above. If a hearing is held, timely notice of such hearing will be published in a newspaper of general circulation and posted on the DEEP website at: https://www.ct.gov/DEEP. Any docket activity can be viewed through the Adjudications Public Portal at: https://deep-adjudications-publicportal.ct.gov.
/s/ Brent Madho
Brent Madho, Acting Division Director
Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division
Bureau of Materials Management and Compliance Assurance
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact Justin.Williams@ct.gov if you are seeking a communication aid or service, have limited proficiency in English, or require some other accommodation. If you wish to file an ADA or Title VI discrimination complaint, you may submit your complaint to the DEEP Office of Diversity and Equity at (860) 418-5910 or via electronic portal.ct.gov/DEEP mail at deep.accommodations@ct.gov. In order to facilitate efforts to provide an accommodation, please request all accommodations as soon as possible following notice of any agency hearing, meeting, program or event.
El Departamento de Energía y Protección Ambiental de Connecticut es un Empleador de Acción Afirmativa/Igualdad de Oportunidades comprometido a cumplir con los requisitos de la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades. Por favor, contáctenos al (860) 418-5910 o deep.accommodations@ct.gov si: tiene una discapacidad y necesita una ayuda o servicio de comunicación; tiene un dominio limitado del inglés y puede necesitar información en otro idioma; o si desea presentar una queja por discriminación ADA o Título VI. Cualquier persona que necesite una adaptación auditiva puede llamar al número de relé del Estado de Connecticut: 711. Las solicitudes de adaptaciones deben hacerse al menos dos semanas antes de cualquier audiencia, programa o evento de la agencia.
Published in the Norwich Bulletin on July 15, 2026