California’s landfills remain under strict scrutiny as regulators weigh tweaks to the state’s landmark Landfill Methane Regulation. Through enforcement actions and public comments, regulators and residents alike are urging operators to prevent adverse impacts like increased truck traffic and uncontrolled emissions.
Landfill expansion proposals continue to pop up in other states as disposal capacity remains a challenge, including in Hawai’i and Arizona. Below is a selection of highlights from the last month:
EPA announces two landfill enforcement settlements
The U.S. EPA announced last week it had reached settlements with the operators of two California landfills. Both settlements stemmed from federal scrutiny over alleged violations of Clean Air Act rules for landfill gas.
In Alameda County, WM agreed to pay a $215,000 settlement to resolve what the EPA described as illegal venting and mismanagement of treated landfill gas. Between 2019 and 2023, a subsidiary of WM operating the Altamont Landfill allegedly released more than 340,000 pounds of treated landfill gas from on-site storage tanks…