Karl Herchenroeder
RW Monitor
11/20/2015
Members of Missouri’s congressional delegation on Thursday introduced legislation that would transfer remediation authority over the mixed-use West Lake Landfill from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Army Corps of Engineers’ Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program.
The EPA’s 25-year effort to clean the landfill, which contains radioactive waste, is “stagnant” and “unacceptable,” according to Sens. Roy Blunt (R) and Claire McCaskill (D) and Reps. Ann Wagner (R) and William Lacy Clay Jr. (D).
“The EPA’s unacceptable delay in implementing a solution for the West Lake landfill has destroyed its credibility and it is time to change course,” Blunt said in a statement. “The Corps has the knowledge, experience, and confidence of the families living near the site. Transferring clean up efforts to its control will help move the process forward and finally give these families the peace of mind they deserve.”
The EPA’s Superfund program has overseen the West Lake Landfill since 1990. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment and other environmental groups have questioned whether the EPA has safely contained radioactive material in the area. Public backlash over the pace of cleanup increased this year when residents began voicing concern over the waste’s proximity to a smoldering fire at the adjacent Bridgeton Landfill, which has burned since 2010. Legislators and residents have made the case that the Army Corps of Engineers is better equipped to handle the site.
