Dive summary:
- Wyoming law makers are trying to round up $70 million to clean up 114 landfill sites the Department of Environmental Quality identified as possibly contaminated, so far the state has collected $30 million.
- Many of the landfill areas are not owned by anyone and the cities don’t have enough money to handle them, so the state is forced to take control.
- Cleaning up all of the landfills could cost up to $350 million, and legislators will start by focusing on the most important sites, those closest to waterway for example.
From the article:
The Wyoming Legislature will consider two bills during its upcoming session that should help cities and counties deal with solid waste problems.
State Sen. Eli Bebout talked about solid waste this month during a meeting of the Riverton City Council, describing the two bills that should make it more feasible for Fremont County and other Wyoming communities to maintain their local landfills.
The proposed legislation was developed after lawmakers reviewed a study from the Department of Environmental Quality that identified 114 landfill sites in Wyoming as possibly contaminated. Bebout said cleanup costs could reach $350 million. ...
