LIFE:. Landfill Improvement For the Environment




	The Palos Verdes Landfill accepted over 47 billion pounds of hazardous wastes between 1952-80 that was buried over 300 acres. The site was divided into 6 parcels between Crenshaw Blvd. to the east, Hawthorne Blvd.to the west, Rolling Hills Rd. to the north and PV Dr. North at the south border. The landfill was originally the Great Lakes Carbon Mine with tunnels left behind as potential conduits for water and gases to travel. See our powerpoint here. For Teacher specific lessons and lesson plans, please go here. Today there is a proposal to close down the gas to energy center built in 1985 to burn off the gases that are the byproducts of what was buried at the landfill. Since the landfill was a co-disposal site, it accepted both liquid and solid wastes daily. The landfill was a Class One or most toxic designation by the government. It is not the type of Municipal Waste landfills that exist today. Whatever was buried into the landfill is now coming out in the steam or gas to energy center at the landfill. Therefore, there are very toxic or carcinogenic chemicals and substances that are burned each day and become the air pollution emissions. The goal is to find ways to lower the emissions coming from the Palos Verdes Landfill gas to energy center. Since the landfill closed in 1980, there have been problems with gases migrating from off site through soil and by air emissions at the gas to energy center. The center was required to submit an application as a Title 5 permit, or major source polluter, since 1998. The gas to energy center is located at the corner of Hawthorne Blvd. and Rolling Hills Rd. The center is seen 24 hours a day with white steam coming out. This steam is the result of burning off hazardous wases buried at the landfill. The Air Quality Management District, known as AQMD, permits the site. The Palos Verdes Landfill emissions can be reviewed at: http://www.aqmd.gov/webappl/fim/prog/emission.aspx?fac_id=24520 (enter a year for review--the year 2003 shows the most pollutants list) Notices to comply and violations: http://www.aqmd.gov/webappl/fim/prog/novnc.aspx?fac_id=24520 Right now the landfill owners, the Los Angeles County Sanitation District is proposing to close down the center and replace it with a system that will flare 75-80% of the gases. The LACSD has refused to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that would research other alternatives to closing down a facility that has provided electricity/energy to Edison for 20 years. We believe that the nation, the state,and the counties' goal is to lower emissions from these types of pollution sources. In that regard we believe that an Environmental Impact Report must be completed to fully assess the impacts to the community and to study alternative means to do this. Right now the LACSD is calling their proposal the 'cost effective' proposal. The following groups have formally asked for an EIR so that the review can find alternatives to the proposal on the table: Torrance Unified School Board Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School Board Rancho Palos Verdes City Council The Sierra Club The Green L.A. Coalition/Liberty Hill Environment California Andrea Hricko Associate Professor at the USC Medical School Preventive Medicine and Director of Environmental Outreach South Bay Open Space Task Force The American Lung Association Citizens Advisory Board for the Palos Verdes Landfill Country Hills Homes Association Hillside Homes Association We believe that by studying the issue, we can find a way to still provide energy/electricity but in a clean and efficient manner. There are 20 schools within the 2 mile radius of the landfill. The state calls the students "sensitive receptors'. Children are known to absorb more into their systems by breathing quickly, etc. Some of the chemicals /substances of concern, benzene, vinyl chloride, and TCE, are known carcinogens. If we can find a way to better eliminate these from the air pollutants the air quality will improve and not be a potential health threat. The LACSD is proposing to spend at least $1.5 million dollars to install a flare. We believe that the tax dollars can be better spent to research an improved way to rid the landfill of the gases. Science and technology has come a long way in that regard but none of these alternatives have received the necessary review. With childrens health in mind, we therefore believe that there should be great consideration and a comprehensive review of this project and the effects that it could have on this community and on children. (see articles below) Harvard Magazine; Dr. Joseph Brain, "Clearing the Air" http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/05/clearing-the-air.html Andrea Hricko, M.P.H. http://www.usc.edu/.../profile.php?PersonIs_ID=483 Road to an Unhealthy Future for So. CA Children by Andrea Hricko http://www.scpcs.ucla.edu/news/CHSPolicyBrief.pdf A Breath of Air http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/population/children/docs/ABreathofAir.pdf Los Angeles already has a huge air quality problem. Ca has recognized this problem. All of Los Angeles County has already gotten an "F" for air quality. To add more pollution to the community is to add 'insult to injury'. http://www.citymayors.com/environment/polluted_uscities.html American Lung Association give Los Angeles an 'F' for air quality http://lungaction.org/reports/sota07_county.html?fcc=06037 The State of CA passed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 known as Assembly Bill 32 (AB32) to commit to reduce the ste wide aggregate greenhouse gas emissions to the 1990 levels by 2020. http://www.tritac.org/documents/summaries/2007_06_01_Air_Issue_Summaries.pdf By 2010 the utility companies such as Edison must have 20% of their energy produced by renewable sources. http://www.serconline.org/RPS/stateactivity.html Renewable resources in the U.S. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/pub_summaries/renew_es.html The sites below show how effective ways can be sought out to accomplish this goal: Using landfill gas to create energy cleanly: Landfill Low Emission Micro Turbine Generator http://www.actapress.com/PaperInfo.aspx?PaperID=17938&reason=500 Micro Turbine Engines cleanly convert landfill gas to energy: http://www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/001066.html Greenpower-using landfill gas to create energy http://www.greenpoweremc.com/landfill.aspx Coen Burner Engines Help Reduce Energy Costs: An example of gas to energy usage http://www.coen.com/i_html/white_landfillcmill.html Makel Engineering; Bio Gas Fueled, Low Emissions http://www.energetics.com/recips06/Presentations/Dibble.pdf EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Prograom http://www.epa.gov/lmop/overview.htm#benefits An Overview of Landfill Gas Energy in the U.S. http://www.epa.gov/lmop/docs/overview.pdf Benefits of Landfill Gas http://www.epa.gov/lmop/benefits.htm Landfill Gas to Energy Calculator http://www.epa.gov/lmop/res/calc.htm The California Climate Action Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. www.climateregistry.org Landfill Project Protocol Development http://www.climateregistry.org/.../LF_protocol_development_process_webpage.pdf Landfill Project Protocol Workshop CA Climate Registry Power Point http://www.climateregistry.org/.../Landfill_Prjt_Protocol_Public_Workshop-2.pdf CA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Bill Senate Bill No. 1771 http://www.climateregistry.org/resources/docs/legislation/SB1771.pdf Air Pollution. CA Senate Bill No. 527 http://www.climateregistry.org/resources/docs/legislation/SB527.pdf Pollution Prevention—EPA Energy Education Tool Box http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2pages/energy.pdf Energy Home Survey for Students http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/pdfs/energysurvey_actsheet.pdf Energy Busters http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=25 Energy Kids Page http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/science/formsofenergy.html