This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Wednesday that court dates have been set for May 14 and 15 in St. Louis to “hear evidence’’ in a lawsuit that his office filed in late March against Republic Services, Inc., owner of the odor-generating Bridgeton landfill, under fire from its residential neighbors.
The landfill is also quite literally under fire, as a result of underground burning that continues.
Statements from Koster and Republic also refer separately to negotiations that are continuing, which some close to the dispute say indicate a possible resolution before the scheduled dates in court.
On March 27 in St. Louis, Koster announced that he had filed suit against Republic, alleging violations of state environmental laws. The suit comes about two years after initial complaints from neighbors about the landfill – especially its smell.
But at that news conference, Koster's staff also indicated that Republic was about to begin work that likely would increase the odor problems temporarily but would hopefully clear up the trouble eventually.
However, a statement from Bridgeton Landfill LLC issued Wednesday indicated that it hadn’t begun the work, apparently because of the lawsuit and “continuing negotiations.”
“Bridgeton landfill is and has been ready to perform the necessary work to significantly reduce the odor issues at the landfill,” the statement said. “We have the best team of internal and external experts addressing the situation. We look forward to continuing negotiations with the Missouri attorney general and hope that an agreement can be reached in the very near future.”
Meanwhile Koster said in his statement that “while he is optimistic that the parties can reach agreement on a number of important matters, he requested the preliminary injunction hearing to ensure that progress is made on remaining issues upon which the parties cannot agree.”
Koster added: “My office is moving swiftly to ensure that Republic fulfills its promise to fix the problems plaguing the residents, schools, businesses, senior care facilities and a local hospital near the Bridgeton landfill. Our lawsuit highlights a number of issues that need Republic’s attention. If those issues cannot all be appropriately resolved by negotiation, we will go into court three weeks from today to seek the best protections for those who are being harmed by this situation.”
Koster said that the lawsuit also seeks to "deal with the ongoing effects of the burning waste."
Since the suit was filed, a political angle has been added, now that Koster, a Democrat (and former Republican), has confirmed the open secret that he plans to run for governor in 2016.
