SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : New Challenges Mounted to Landfill Expansion
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The complicated legal maneuvering surrounding the proposed expansion of Sunshine Canyon landfill dragged on this week with new challenges from Los Angeles city officials and San Fernando Valley homeowners--including a request for the dump operator to pick up its opponents’ legal bills.
Expansion of the dump north of Granada Hills was attacked on a number of fronts in legal documents, adding new dimensions to the complex fight that has been waged in courtrooms and hearing rooms for nearly a decade.
A 58-page petition filed by the city and the North Valley Coalition of Concerned Citizens seeks to overturn the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ third approval of the dump expansion last November. Two prior approvals were overturned by judges on technical grounds.
At issue is whether to allow the now-idle landfill just north of Granada Hills to expand by 17 million tons as part of a 10-year plan to increase the county’s waste disposal capacity. The dump has been closed since 1991.
Most issues raised in the petition are longstanding complaints of negligence and oversight that dump opponents have leveled for years against the county and the landfill’s operator, Browning-Ferris Industries.
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