ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - A petition prohibiting any type of waste-to-energy plant being built on Oneida tribal lands has been approved.
The vote from the General Tribal Council happened Sunday during a special meeting at the Radisson Hotel in Ashwaubenon.
A circulated petition seeking to block the construction of any type of waste-to-energy facility by the Oneida Seven Generations Corporation was on the agenda. OSGC officials was looking at building a plastics-only gasification plant at Water Tower Place off of Highway 54.
The petition received the required amount of signatures to be put before the tribe Sunday.
"They made their decision, and I believe they made the right decision," Oneida Business Committee Chairman Ed Delgado told FOX 11 after the meeting.
Outside of the meeting room were signs of opposition to the hot-button issue of construction of a waste-to-energy plant on tribal land.
Delgado says the decision by tribe was the right one.
"The General Tribal Council, made up of almost 2,000 people, today made their decision and I believe they made the right decision," said Delgado.
The issue was whether the tribe was willing to direct its business committee to stop Oneida Seven Generations Corporation – from building a gasification, waste-to-energy or plastics recycling plant on tribal land.
Meantime, the OSGC continues to wage a legal battle to get a conditional-use permit back from the city of Green Bay to build a waste-to-energy facility on the city's east side.
Delgado wouldn't say if this would be the last time this specific issue would come before the tribe, as all members have the right to the petition process.