[ad_1]
An attorney for Waste Connections, which operates the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, released a statement Friday saying the company is updating language on its website in response to residents’ concerns about the community benefits fund. .
“To further clarify our Community Relief Program, we have updated our website and application form to ensure that anyone participating in the Relief Program does not waive any claim at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill or in connection with it. We make it clear that no,” said a statement from John Perkey, vice president and general counsel of Waste Connections.
“Chiquita has not specifically requested the release and/or waiver of any legal claims residents may have against Chiquita Canyon LLC in order to qualify for relief under the program,” he said. added.
While the South Coast Air Quality Management District works to address long-term issues at the facility, residents in the vicinity have been warned that the overwhelming odor is impacting neighbors as far away as Stevenson Ranch and Valencia. We have received thousands of complaints from
In February, Los Angeles County District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Berger asked the landfill to establish a community support fund that would include assistance with relocation and utility costs, and the landfill agreed.
Berger shared an announcement Monday that constitutes the rollout of the website. However, residents voiced concerns about the language of the program, including the discussion with Parkey, at the landfill’s community advisory board’s monthly meeting the next night.
Residents are suing the landfill for damages, alleging that the problem of landfill gas, which causes nausea and sulfur odor, and the problem of leachate, which is rainwater filtered from rotting garbage, are causing health hazards. are happening a lot. This creates a different odor that overwhelms the landfill’s containment system.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Parkey said he could not comment on pending litigation over the landfill, a comment that appears to have caused confusion.
The initial text on the website read:
“By submitting this form, the compensation you receive through this program will be limited to: /OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE THAT YOU ALLEG TO SUFFER.
The new language on the form adds the following statement to that part of the application:
“Submission of this form does not constitute a waiver of any legal claim against Chiquita Canyon Landfill or its affiliated entities, nor does it constitute a waiver of any additional damages to which you may be entitled.”
An attorney for one of the class-action groups suing the landfill said Tuesday’s initial response was “a little shady.” That’s because the information residents share on the form could later be used against them by the landfill, and that’s why the wording is there. It looked like it could affect their future claims.
Purkey’s statement said the original language was meant to provide transparency about the nature of the program.
“The language included in the claim form was necessary to give participants full transparency about the nature of the program. In particular, it does not provide reimbursement for past expenses or ask for receipts to verify it. “It’s not like we’re going to do anything,” he wrote. “Our intent remains the same: to address the rising temperatures at the landfill and the resulting impacts experienced by the surrounding community.”
Representatives from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Friday declined to share a timeline for considering a request from Rep. Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) to declare a state of emergency over the landfill issue. did.
“Inspections and enforcement actions are underway. State, local, and federal agencies are considering all options to manage the conditions at the site and protect the surrounding community and environment,” California Environmental Protection Agency said. Protection Agency spokeswoman Nefretiri Khoury wrote in an email Thursday.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency announced it will hold a community meeting on March 21 at 6 p.m. at Castaic Middle School, 28900 Hillcrest Parkway, to address the landfill. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will also be in attendance to discuss concerns about leachate.
In recent weeks, both Berger and U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) have called for the landfill to be shut down.
The lawsuit, which seeks injunctive relief for residents in the form of immediate closure of the landfill, is scheduled for a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles on April 12.
[ad_2]
Source link
