Jumping a Sinking Ship

 

Ed Riley has been a foundational and long-standing figure on the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority (SWA), serving on the board for decades and acting as its Chairman during multiple critical periods in the county's waste management history.

Early Leadership and Establishing Fees (1991) In 1991, as Chairman of the SWA, Riley was instrumental in shaping the county's early waste infrastructure. He personally testified before the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) to advocate for a landfill tipping fee increase from $12 to $40 per ton to fund necessary upgrades, such as a wetlands-based leachate treatment system and state bonding requirements. During these hearings, he also defended the implementation and structure of the original $60 annual "green box" fee.

Navigating the Landfill Capacity Crisis (2019–2023) Riley continued his leadership role as Chairman through significant modern challenges, overseeing the 2019 update to the county's Commercial Solid Waste Facility Siting Plan. When a massive, unexpected surge of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from Marlinton threatened to rapidly fill the landfill in the spring of 2022, Riley directly petitioned the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to modify the landfill's permit so they could halt the acceptance of C&D materials to preserve the remaining air space. In early 2023, he served as the public voice for the SWA, announcing that the landfill only had an estimated 2.7 years of usable life remaining.

The 2026 Controversy and Resignation By early 2026, Riley was serving as a regular board member appointed by the County Commission. He became a central figure in the highly contentious debate over transitioning the closing landfill to a privatized transfer station. During the intense negotiations over the 15-year, $1.1 million "Option 4" lease-to-own agreement with Allegheny Disposal, Riley abstained from a critical vote on February 18, 2026. Because ethics rules count an abstention as a "no" vote, his action caused a tie that temporarily killed the motion before it was ultimately approved a week later.

Amidst escalating public outrage over the unbid multi-million dollar contract, "Flow Control" monopolies, and massive projected fee hikes, Riley officially resigned from the SWA board in mid-March 2026. His abrupt departure left the board operating short-handed during its most crucial financial votes and prompted angry residents to demand that the County Commission appoint a taxpayer advocate, Angela Fisher, to fill his vacant seat.