PUBLIC NOTICE

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Support AB 2415 (Fuentes)

·         AB  2415 was written specifically to stop BFI from going to the
 California Integrated Waste Management Board and bypassing the local LEAs (read story below).  As this bill will be going to the Committee on Natural Resources on April 7th we need your support. 

·         Please write Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes and Assemblymember Loni Hancock, 14th District, Capitol Office, State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0014 who is Chair of the Committee on Natural Resources (see our letter below).

March 23, 2008
 
Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes
39th District
Capitol Office

State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0039
 
RE: Support for BILL AB 2415 (Fuentes)
 
Dear Assemblymember Fuentes:
 
        The members of the North Valley Coalition of Concerned Citizens Inc., and many other residents
 in Granada Hills and Sylmar live in the shadow of Sunshine Canyon Landfill, one of the largest landfills
 in the United States, and as you know one which is situated astride the Los Angeles City/County and
 therefore subject to multiple jurisdictions.  
 
     For the last 18 years we have had to suffer the underhanded tricks played by BFI/Allied Waste, the
 second largest disposer of waste in the world, jumping back and forth between these two jurisdictions in
 order to promote their expansions, avoid mitigations or compliance, and/or to gain the greatest advantage
 over the nearby residents including the LEAs.  Most recently, when they could not leverage either of the
 LEAs to expedite new expansion approvals before a preplanned schedule which had already been
 memorialized in the land use conditions of their Zone Change documents, they sought to usurp the LEAs’
 authority by filing directly for a SWFP with the CIWMB by making false and specious claims. 

The North Valley Coalition whole heartedly supports your bill as written and its urgency of passage to add Section 44001.5 to the Public Resources Code,” to require an application for, or an application for the revision of, a permit for a solid waste facility that is located in multiple jurisdictions and that is submitted to the board pursuant to Section 44001 or subdivision (b) of Section 44004, the board shall obtain the approval of the designated and certified enforcement agency of each of the jurisdictions in which the facility is located before issuing or revising a permit for the facility.”

     We believe that our community’s future health, safety and welfare rest with your bill.

Yours sincerely,

 

Wayde Hunter
President NVC

c.c.  Loni Hancock, Assembly Natural Resources Committee Chairperson Greig Smith, Councilman 12th District

BFI  Applies to the State for SWFP for a Combined City/County Landfill

  • In late 2007 BFI applied to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for a new Solid Waste Facilities Permit (SWFP) for a Combined City/County landfill bypassing the two Lead Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of the City and the County.  Both the City and the County objected as the representatives of the California Integrated Waste Management Board they are suppose to process and certify such requests.  The NVC also raised a hue and cry at the City’s Technical Advisory Committee on Sunshine Canyon (TAC) as BFI failed to notify both City and County CACs of their filing, and that there was a 5 year ban on combined operations.   At that meeting the City indicated to BFI that they would file a lawsuit if BFI did not withdraw their application.  One week later the application was withdrawn.
     
  • On January 8, 2008 BFI again applied to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for a new Solid Waste Facilities Permit (SWFP) for a Combined City/County landfill again bypassing the two Lead Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of the City and the County.  On January 18th the City Council passed a motion (File #08-0074) to instruct the City Attorney to file a lawsuit to prevent the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) from considering the application and asserting the City’s right as their representative to process the SWFP and pointing to a ban on any combined operations for 5 years from the time the City side of the landfill opened in 2005.
     
  • On February 6, 2008 BFI submitted new information to their Joint Technical Document (JTD) at the direction of the CIWMB to reflect new information to reflect the new rules on gas probes.  The 30-day clock for the CIWMB to determine if BFI’s application was complete was restarted.
     
  • On March 7, 2008 the CIWMB determined that the application was complete.

Van Gogh Elementary School on March 25, 2008

CIWMB Meeting

  • The California Integrated Waste Management’s staff held a meeting on March 25, 2008 at the Van Gogh Elementary School in Granada Hills on BFI’s application for a new Solid Waste Facilities Permit #19-AA-2000. This public information meeting was held to help any person learn more about the proposed solid waste facilities permit process, and to provide comments to the CIWMB regarding the proposed permit. The meeting was strictly informational and no official decision was made at the meeting regarding the formal determination on the solid waste facilities permit application.  The meeting was attended by about 100 persons with 18 speakers, all of who spoke out against the State accepting the application.
     
  • The proposed new permit would consolidate two existing permits into a single permit.  Currently, two landfills that are now separately permitted by the local enforcement agencies in the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles operate at the site. Sunshine Canyon Landfill straddles the boundary between the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Because of the jurisdictional divide, the landfill is permitted and operated as two separate landfills. This permit proposal would allow the landfill operator to combine the two landfills into a single landfill after the operator obtains any necessary approvals from other public agencies.

Written comments may be sent by e-mail to sunshinecanyon@ciwmb.ca.gov or by mail to CIWMB, Susan Markie, WCMP Permitting South Branch Manager, 1001 I Street, PO Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812-4025.

For more information, a copy of the permitting documents is available at the Granada Hills Library and the Southern California CIWMB office (located at 320 West 4th Street, Suite 670, Los Angeles).

See also the CIWMB’s website on the project and the permit process at: http://ciwmb.ca.gov/PermitToolBox/Notices/SunshineCnyn/default.htm 

Appeals: For information on the appeals process pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 44307 after the decision to issue or deny the proposed permit (tentatively scheduled for June 2008), please see http://ciwmb.ca.gov/PermitToolBox/Notices/SunshineCnyn/default.htm

NVC Joins the City & the County of Los Angeles in filing an Appeal

·         On March 5, 2008 the North Valley Coalition’s attorney filed an Appeal to the CIWMB opposing their decision to accept BFI’s application for a SWFP and in doing so joined the City and the County of Los Angeles who had also filed an appeal. (See story below).

BFI – Still At It

  • Not content to trash our neighborhood with blowing debris, dust, pollutants et cetera they have decided to take it upon themselves to build helicopter landing pads for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) without permits and most certainly against the NVC wishes which were expressed to them in no uncertain terms a number of years ago.  If it were not for the fact that they were cited by a City inspector, the NVC, the GHNNC nor the Sunshine Canyon Landfill CAC-Cityside would not have known of the pads existence.  Yet, another violation of neighborhood trust, and of the City CUP requirements which would require notification and an appropriate filing with the City and the State when their use changes.  Of course there were more rules broken and we are working on this but I will reserve this information until we have made them accountable.  They have currently applied for a permit from Building & Safety.

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