One or more violations have been identified at the Heritage Environmental Services landfill south of Russellville, according to a notification on the EPA website. Two thousand tonnes of toxic trash from an Ohio train crash are destined for the Heritage dump. Even though local officials and a spokeswoman for the landfill have assured residents their safety would not be compromised, neighbors have expressed their fears.
The Heritage landfill has been noncompliant with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for 12 consecutive quarters, as evidenced by a Detailed Facilities Report. Executive Director of Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute Dr. Gabriel Filippelli provided additional context for these infractions. The offense, he explained, was an “environmental release,” which amounted to a leak.
“Environmental release is usually into the air, water, or soil,” Filippelli said. On the other hand, he assured me that the landfill was making efforts to address the issue, as evidenced by the paperwork. “The facility seems to have explored the problem and worked with the EPA to develop a plan,” he said.
The Heritage dump was fined zero dollars for the infraction, which, according to Filippelli, indicates a minor problem. “This would indicate to me that whatever the issue is, it has not endangered the environment or humans offsite,” Filippelli said. According to Filippelli, Heritage Environmental Services is a reputable organization for handling hazardous trash.
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There is always a degree of danger when dealing with toxic chemicals, but according to Filippelli, bringing them here and keeping them stored is strictly supervised. “I’m not actually concerned about the transport or disposal,” he said. “A lot of eyes are going to be on this.”
Representative Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) is keeping an eye on things. Since the Heritage landfill is in his Congressional district, he was asked about his opinion of the company.
”Once the material is here and in the ground I feel completely safe that Heritage Environmental can manage such material,” Baird said.
It’s the other elements that worry him.
“My concern is the lack of communication from the EPA and ultimately how it is going to be transferred to Indiana and how safe it is during that transfer process,” Baird said.
Until the public receives more information from the EPA, Baird says he is opposed to this material being transported to Indiana. “I want to see the EPA put a pause on their decision till they answer the questions,” Baird said.
Inquiries about the landfill’s violation were made by FOX59 to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Heritage Environmental Services. If you’re wondering when those poisons might be shipped, Baird says he’s still looking into it but thinks it’s soon.
