Waste Management Inc (WMI) increased its offer to Livingston Parish Council from the present 5% royalty to 6% of revenue plus post-closure costs of soon-to-be full Woodside Landfill (estimated at $3.5 million). One could justify the previous 5% royalty since the parish owned the land. Now, WMI has bought the 400 acres on which they wish to build a larger landfill. But, so far, WMI's big money has not moved the parish council to vote Waste Management's way. The WMI proposal is now on hold.
The new "royalty" offer spells like a typical industry biblical bribe to Livingston Parish (county) Council in Louisiana. In addition to the $3.5 million closure costs (it is debated whether those costs are part of the original contract), the council treasury would receive about $150,000 added dollars "royalty" per year from WMI, bringing the total to at least $900,000 in payment per year. Waste Management is seeking approval to expand their soon to be filled 100 acre Woodside Landfill into an adjoining 400 acre expansion. Concerned Citizens Group of Livingston Parish vigorously oppose the project. The issue of importing waste from other Louisiana parishes and out-of-state is foremost.
On July 24, 1999 the parish council held a hearing. After the hearing they decided to refer the matter (revoking a permit) to a special committee to study the entire landfill issue and report back to the council for a vote on August 12th. The committee's mandate was to look at whether the contract with WMI had been violated, whether to revoke the permit, whether the parish should halt the intake of garbage and industrial waste from outside the parish and what health risks the landfill posed. The issue of competition is also on the table for the council contract since WMI presently does not allow any competition!
The citizen group had charged that the permit for bioremediation was undemocraticly approved by the state EPA. They seek revocation of the permit. They have previously charged Waste Management with allowing the landfill to pollute the water wells of resident below the landfill. Environmental scientist and landfill opposition leader Ivor van Heerden asked the Health Department to issue a health alert for those living in a two mile radius of the landfill. Since then two citizens have filed a lawsuit in District Court charging serious leakage of high chloride and barium levels. Waste Management admits to these higher levels but argues that they were in these wells before the landfill was built.
"Waste Management scares me," testified area resident Arnell Couvillion. "I don't know what's going on out there, but they are dumping more and more stuff in there. I've seen trucks go in there, and they look mean. It's not a matter of wether our water will be contaminated. It's a matter of when," Couvillion said.
Iincreased dumping of waste from nearby Baton Rouge and New Orleans greatly concerns citizens and many council members. They believe their dump should be for only waste from their parish.
Instead of a council decision on August 12th, the council announced an agreement with Waste Management. WMI agreed to wait on seeking a permit to build the new landfill until the present Woodside landfill controversy is resolved. The parish president also urged WMI to reduce the amount of waste accepted at the present landfill. The council's special committee has also proceeded to hire outside legal counsel.
In addition an EPA third letter reveals that the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) considers the waste at Woodside Landfill as hazardous. DEQ released only its first letter which was a "good" report. Concerned Citizen President Ivor von Heerdon attacked parish president Dewey Ratcliff for failing to release the letter given his announced "open door" policy. von Heerdon noted that Ratcliff had received campaign contributions from Waste Management.
dated August 23, 1999