Dive summary:

• The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in New Jersey is in the middle of a dispute with landfill owner, Richard Bernardi, over an agreement that neither side is happy with.
• The city sold the landfill to Bernardi under the agreement that he could add more than a million cubic yards of waste and construction debris, then cap the landfill and install solar panels.
• The new waste being brought into the landfill isn’t being covered properly and creating an odor that is getting the neighbors' attention and causing the DEP to try to shut the landfill down.

From the article:

As News 12 New Jersey has reported in a series of Kane In Your Corner investigations, air quality tests show the project has produced dangerous fumes. In addition, Bernardi was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery, which has some questioning why the DEP did business with him. There are also questions about whether the project was necessary, since a 2005 DEP report concluded the landfill posed no immediate environmental danger.

The DEP is now trying to shut the project down, saying Bernardi’s failure to cover the landfill with fresh soil nightly is to blame for the fumes. Some in Roxbury also blame the DEP, however. Homeowner Anthony Fiore even calls the agency “the number one culprit.” ...