On Friday, March 15, two experts will brief public officials about their assessment of the risks posed by the fire and nuclear waste at the West Lake/Bridgeton landfill. Public officials representing communities that surround the Republic Services-owned landfill will hear testimony about the risks that the currently expanding landfill fire poses to citizens in the St. Louis area, especially in the presence of untreated nuclear wastes at the site.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO )
Republic's landfill has been in the news recently due to citizen complaints about persistent stench, the expanding underground fire, a recent explosion, and the EPA's investigation of radiation levels. The EPA announced this week that it has detected radiation at the site while flying its ASPECT plane overhead, but has not yet reported any details.
The event, which is open to the press, was organized by the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Jobs with Justice, Joint Council 13 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and a Community Advisory Group. The coalition will present its goals: 1. ensure public safety through solid independent analysis, 2. enhance public engagement and transparency and 3. guarantee taxpayer protection.
WHO: Dr. Bob Criss - Director of the Stable Isotope Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri River expert. Dr. Criss will provide analysis of the radioactive segment of the landfill, which is under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Peter Anderson - Executive Director of the Center for a Competitive Waste Industry. Mr. Anderson will provide the context about how subsurface landfill fires start, the serious risks they raise in general, and the disturbing conclusion from the fact that the two worst mega-fires today are both at Republic landfills; both due to the company's gross negligence.
WHEN:Friday, March 15, 2013 from 9-10:30 a.m.
WHERE:Machinists Union Hall. 12365 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044.
VISUALS:Graphic explanation of landfill fire
Contacts for questions and RSVP:
Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Ed Smith (314) 727-0600, esmith@moenviron.org
Jobs with Justice
Aaron Burnett (314) 644-0466, aaron@stl-jwj.org
Teamsters Union
Marvin Kropp (314) 426-4618, m.kropp@sbcglobal.net
/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- March 13, 2013/
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters