EPA fines Lawrence landfill over methane violations - The Lawrence Times
EPA fines Lawrence landfill over methane violations - The Lawrence Times
The red pin on this map indicates the location of the Hamm Inc. landfill north of Lawrence. (Screenshot / Google Maps)
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Owners of a dump near Lawrence will have to pay more than $34,000 in upgrades and penalties for violating clean air regulations, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.
The Hamm Inc. landfill, which is just outside Lawrence along U.S. Highway 59, takes solid waste from Lawrence’s municipal pickup service.
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During an inspection of the landfill in March 2022, the EPA found the landfill was emitting an illegal volume of methane gas and failed to correct it.
Methane, like carbon dioxide, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change by trapping heat. But it’s far more potent. Landfills can release huge amounts of methane, contributing to both climate change and air pollution that can harm residents’ health.
David Cozad, director of the EPA region’s enforcement division, said in a news release that two of the agency’s priorities are “mitigating climate change through its regulatory authorities and reducing methane emissions from landfills.”
Cozad said the EPA was “encouraged by Hamm’s commitment to reduce emissions through its enhanced landfill cover integrity practices as a term of this settlement.”
In the news release, the EPA said Hamm Inc. will pay a $4,206 penalty and spend about $30,000 to better monitor air pollution.
Hamm Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Related Knowledge Center: Methane
As the production of natural gas from shale fields has expanded, so have methane emissions. U.S. methane emissions grew 27 percent from 1990 to 2009, according to the Energy Information Administration. Methane contributes about 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.