Region : Torres Seeks View on Dump
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Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente) this week challenged William K. Reilly, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, to take a stand on the expansion of the Azusa landfill.
“You have an ethical and moral responsibility to the people of Southern California to speak out on the matter,” Torres wrote in a letter sent Monday to Reilly. He added that the agency “has missed an opportunity . . . to provide leadership in the area of pollution prevention.”
In a series of controversial decisions, the landfill, operated by Azusa Land Reclamation Co., a subsidiary of Browning-Ferris Industries, received regional and state permission last year to expand, although some experts testified that further growth of the dump could jeopardize the San Gabriel Valley’s water supply. Landfill officials, however, maintain that they are taking adequate protections to ensure the safety of the ground water.
A lawsuit on the issue is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
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