Oregon Regulators Say Coffin Butte Landfill Failed for Years to Monitor and Control Gas Emissions

An enforcement order with a civil penalty exceeding $3 million was issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) yesterday for violations at Coffin Butte Landfill, north of Corvallis.

Valley Landfills Failed to Monitor, Capture, or Control Landfill Gas Emissions

The enforcement order alleges that Valley Landfills Inc. failed to monitor, capture, and control landfill gas emissions required by both federal and state law.

Landfill gas contains hazardous pollutants that are harmful to human health. It consists mostly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and emits odors into the air.

DEQ alleges in its $3,016,128 order that $2,265,528 is the economic benefit Valley Landfills gained by:

• Failing to monitor surface emissions.
• Failing to install new landfill gas collection wells.
• Failing to monitor and repair the landfill cover.

If Valley Landfills completes multiple corrective actions, DEQ may reduce the civil penalty.

The enforcement order is the result of compliance investigations conducted over several years by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DEQ.

The Public Will be Given an Opportunity to Comment

The public will be given the opportunity to comment when DEQ’s Air Quality program considers the renewal of an air permit for Valley landfills this spring.

Valley Landfills has been given 20 days to appeal the order and, if it chooses to do so, the corrective action deadlines in the order will be stayed, pending final resolution of the case.

For more information, readers can visit DEQ’s Coffin Butte Landfill web page.