Dive Brief:
- Residents engaged in a battle with the Bridgeton landfill have reached a $6.8-million settlement that a federal judge ruled as "fair, reasonable and adequate."
- Members of the community filed a class action suit against Republic Service, the owners of a smoldering landfill in Bridgeton, MO. The plaintiffs alleged health issues and environmental concerns stemming from the underground fire burning at the site for years.
- The $6.8 million will be awarded to 947 of the 1,244 residents involved in the suit. Those who accept the settlement will not be able to pursue future "nuisance" claims against Republic Services.
Dive Insight:
The odors are expected to worsen as work gets underway on a barrier that will separate the burning Bridgeton landfill form the nearby West Lake landfill, a site where nuclear waste is buried. The construction work is viewed as a way to prevent the flames form reaching the radioactive waste, thereby avoiding a potentially catastrophic situation. The EPA and the Army Corps. of Engineers are working in tandem to determine the most effective location for the barrier.
A loophole in state bill SB731, if passed, could wipe out the ability of residents to file certain claims against the landfill.
