House Passes McKeon’s Bill to Throw Out Elsmere Plan : Environment: Measure could block proposed landfill that Santa Clarita civic leaders have been fighting for years.

A bill that could block the proposed dump at Elsmere Canyon cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, handing anti-dump activists a victory in their efforts to halt development of the 190-million-ton facility.

Passage of the bill written by Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), was hailed by civic leaders who have spent millions and worked for years to prevent Torrance-based BKK Corp. from developing the canyon just east of the city of Santa Clarita.

“Everything has turned around,” McKeon said jubilantly during a conference-call news conference.

His bill must still pass the Senate and be signed by the President.

McKeon’s bill, tailored specifically to the Santa Clarita-area project, would prevent the transfer of U.S. Forest Service Land in Elsmere Canyon for use as a dump.

This affects BKK’s plans because part of the proposed 720-acre landfill would be on federal land in Angeles National Forest. In exchange for the land, BKK offered to purchase private land of comparable value and donate it to the Forest Service.

The Forest Service has rejected the swap in the past, and McKeon’s bill in effect forbids the service to change its policy. Without that forest land, McKeon said, the dump would not be viable.

“I think it becomes a dead issue if this becomes law,” McKeon said.

But while the measure moved to the Senate, representatives of BKK minimized its possible effects, saying they had not even decided whether to actively fight the measure’s progress. Ron Gastelum, chief administrative officer for BKK, said there was no reason for Congress to get involved in what he described as a local issue.

“This bill is viewed as a hometown bill for Mr. McKeon,” said Gastelum said. “It is acutely antithetical to what the Republicans are saying as a matter of public policy. They are cutting the budget for land acquisitions. This runs entirely counter to the Republican agenda in Congress.”

Gastelum declined to rule out the possibility that BKK might try to create a smaller dump, saying it would keep its options open should the McKeon bill become law.

But Jeff Kolin, the Santa Clarita city official responsible for dealing with the Elsmere project, said BKK had never submitted any proposals or alternatives for a landfill solely on private property.

“They would have to start over again,” he said of the approval process.

McKeon has met with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kansas), making a pitch for the measure. Before taking the case to Dole, McKeon consulted with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who agreed to sponsor the bill in the Senate, an aide to McKeon said.

McKeon said he had also met with Vice President Al Gore to attempt to persuade the White House to sign the measure should it pass the Senate.

Passage of the measure on a voice vote, however, coming as it did on a day marked by the looming shutdown of the federal government, prompted McKeon to temper his enthusiasm. The budget crisis would, he said, “just make it harder to get people’s attention.”

Other dump opponents, such as Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy, described the vote as merely the beginning.

“It’s great,” she said. “[But] I’m withholding my full enthusiasm till I see it signed. Then we’ll have a big celebration.”

In a related development, a deal to sell the Elsmere property underwent a transformation. BKK had been planning to sell its interest in Elsmere Canyon to rival Browning-Ferris Industries, pending certain conditions. Under the original deal, BKK agreed to shut down its landfill in West Covina.

But the two companies announced Monday that they had amended their agreement, and that closing the West Covina landfill was no longer part of the deal.

Santa Clarita officials seemed puzzled by the move. But Michael Miller, the director of environmental services for the city of West Covina, said the change made it all the more imperative for BKK to step forward and negotiate a settlement to close the landfill.

West Covina has sued BKK, claiming it reneged on a deal to shut down the dump this year.

A trial is set to begin in January.