Sherman Insists on Sunshine Canyon Safeguards

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman on Wednesday urged Los Angeles County officials to make the company that owns Sunshine Canyon Landfill accept long-term responsibility for the sites safety.

œThe public should not be left holding the bag, Sherman told the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission.

The panel is considering a conditional use permit for Browning-Ferris Industries to continue operating the San Fernando Valley landfill.

The county currently requires the landfill owner to maintain insurance for 30 years after the dump shuts down. Sherman called that œinadequate to guard against the true long-term dangers to the environment. He noted that the landfill, located within a few miles of two major fault lines, also is near a groundwater basin that supplies drinking water for the Los Angeles region.

œThe possibility of a landfill failure at Sunshine Canyon is very real and would have disastrous public health consequences, Sherman said. œIn the highly populated setting of the San Fernando Valley, clean up costs could easily exceed $100 million.

He urged county officials to support a proposal by a coalition of Valley residents, labor unions and environmental organizations to œensure that the conditional use permit issued by the county contains meaningful protections for the public health and public coffers.

Sherman has consistently opposed expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill and supported alternatives that would allow the landfill to be closed permanently.