Hahn Opposes Easing Rules for Landfill
Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn has asked state water regulators to reject a request by Browning-Ferris Industries to remove two provisions in its permit to expand the Sunshine Canyon Landfill into Granada Hills.
The provisions provide some added protection to the health and safety of residents near the landfill, Hahn wrote in a letter to Arthur Baggett Jr., chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board, which will hear the petition.
“It is my responsibility to ensure the health and safety of the city’s residents,” said Hahn, who opposes the expansion from unincorporated county territory. “I urge the state board to reject the petition that would weaken the protective measures that the surrounding community will depend upon so heavily.”
One provision calls for a double-liner system to prevent contaminants from seeping into groundwater. The other would allow regulators to review, amend and revoke the permit if there is sufficient evidence that the landfill poses a health risk.
Company executives said that a double-liner system would add $15 million to the cost of the project and that federal environmental law requires a single-liner system. They also contend that there is no scientific evidence that the landfill is a public health hazard.
A regional water board included the provisions in an expansion permit granted Dec. 4.
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