Opinion ID: 2314437
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Empire's and Danella's Actions

Text: Empire and Danella entered into two contracts after the effective date of the Act, September 26, 1988, but before the effective date of the County Plan. On December 6, 1988, Empire entered into a solid waste disposal agreement with Danella for a term of five years. On December 1, 1989, Empire and Danella extended the original term until December 1, 1994 and provided for two renewals of ten years each. The agreement purports to require Danella to deliver up to 500 tons of municipal waste per week to Empire but sets no minimum amount, exclusive dealings requirement or any other obligation of performance on Danella. The record reflects that Danella regularly uses Empire's competitors or out-of-state facilities at Danella's convenience. It also reflects that, beginning in January 1989, Danella entered into municipal waste collection agreements to provide services for numerous customers: oral, short-term residential agreements; written, one to three year contracts with individual business customers; and negotiated multi-year contracts with municipalities. Empire failed to respond to the County's Request for Proposals [2] and was not a designated landfill under the County Plan. Empire did have a solid waste permit issued by DER. [3] The record reflects that the County's Solid Waste Coordinator forwarded a number of memoranda to disposal haulers operating in the County, including Danella, advising them that, among other things, the County Ordinance and regulations had been adopted and the program thereunder would not be implemented until June 1, 1992. On July 7, 1992, DER sent a letter to Danella advising Danella that it was under a legal obligation to comply with the County Plan, absent a valid pre-existing contract, and requested Danella to inform DER if Danella was disposing waste pursuant to an exempt pre-existing contract at a facility other than those designated in the County Plan.