GROVE CITY, Pa. - The Citizens Environmental Association of the Slippery Rock Area's (CEASRA) is celebrating a victory, after the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania handed down a decision to reverse the permit application for Tri-County Landfill in Grove City.

CEASRA has been fighting against the landfill -- known as 'Trash Mountain' -- for decades, in what the court's memorandum opinion calls a "tortured history" of proceedings spanning more than 35 years.

"The battle's never over, but this is the most conclusive and the most valuable precedent that's been set with the Commonwealth Court decision," CEASRA's Dan Biddle said.

Had the permit been approved, Tri-County Landfill would have been allowed to intake up to 40,000 tons of waste, 24 hours per day, 6 days per week.

CEASRA's main arguments against the landfill's operations included concerns that such activity would impact traffic, water quality, and safety for the surrounding community.

"Some of the waste that would have been permitted was residuals from oil and gas drilling, fracking waste," Biddle noted. "By definition, it is radioactive."

The court's decision to revoke the permit was ultimately based upon conflict with a 1997 regulation which prohibits the location of a landfill within 10,000 feet of an airport runway.

The Grove City Airport falls inside that range, which the regulation notes, increases the risk for bird collisions in the surrounding airspace.

"We can ingest a bird into the engine and it just wouldn't be safe, especially at such a low altitude," pilot Stephen Shields said. "I'm happy that the state has finally realized that the safety of our pilots is worth more than the money that one individual can make from buying trash from out of state."

It's unclear whether the landfill will continue operating as a transfer station for its sister companies, owned by Tri-County Industries.

For now, CEASRA is preparing for a potential appeal from Tri-County Landfill, but remains hopeful they can move on to tackling other local environmental concerns.

"We'll continue our efforts but we'll be prepared for the next volley when it happens," Biddle said.