Submission of Dump Agreement Is Delayed
Los Angeles city sanitation officials said Friday they would delay taking to the City Council a civil agreement with regional air quality officials to reduce methane gas emissions at Lopez Canyon Landfill in northeastern San Fernando Valley.
The agreement, reached this week between the city and the enforcement staff of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, was to have been submitted Tuesday. But those who oppose the dump’s operations said there was insufficient time for public comment on the document and its provisions.
Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) and residents who live near the landfill also asked that the district delay presenting the agreement to the council until the AQMD hearing board, which also must approve the document, finishes examining it. The hearing board has been conducting hearings into excess gas emissions at the dump since April.
“Why, after all this foot-dragging, the sudden rush?” Katz asked. “If the agreement is a good one, it will stand up to public scrutiny.”
AQMD chief prosecutor Diana Love said Friday she will meet with residents of Lake View Terrace and Kagel Canyon, where the dump is located, before submitting the agreement to the council in October.
The public also will be given an opportunity to testify before the hearing board.
The agreement to install additional emissions controls will cost the city several million dollars. The city also faces civil fines for violating state air pollution laws at the dump. The amount of the fines, which could total $700,000, has not yet been determined, Love said.
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