Dive Brief:

• The Environmental Protection Agency will not start testing the Bridgeton landfill due to the government shutdown.
• The ongoing fire, which has been burning underground for three years, is not considered an imminent public health threat.
• ​Testing was scheduled to begin on October 1.

Dive Insight:

Testing is necessary before the owner of the landfill can begin work digging a trench to prevent the fire from reaching nuclear waste that's stored nearby. This is an ongoing issue that has yet to be resolved effectively.