California Is Proposing New Regulations to Avert Landfill Fires

The California Air Resources Board is proposing stronger regulations to prevent landfill fires, as part of a broader set of changes to statewide rules aimed at reducing methane emissions from waste.

The proposed amendments would require landfill operators in California to conduct “intensive monitoring and proactive responses to changing conditions” of gas-collection systems used to capture methane and other emissions, according to a Sept. 23 report issued by CARB staff.

An aerial drone shot of Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County.

Source: Shutterstock

In July, a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation into the harmful public-health effects of overheated landfills across the US showed that landfill gas-collection systems can cause serious problems if not properly managed. Gas wells poke holes in ...