Issue Position: West Lake/ Bridgeton Landfills

Issue Position

Ever since our community became aware of the shocking events at the Bridgeton and West Lake Landfills, I have dedicated myself to finding solutions to this public safety crisis. It started when neighbors reporting intensely strong odors from the Bridgeton Landfill. I then became aware that the adjacent West Lake Landfill is housing massive amounts of illegally dumped nuclear weapons waste from the Manhattan Project.

West Lake Landfill is not designed to safely house nuclear waste. It is unlined, in a floodplain, and close to heavily populated areas. And to make matters worse, there is currently a huge subsurface smoldering fire in the adjacent Bridgeton Landfill that is moving towards the nuclear waste in the West Lake Landfill. Experts are unsure what exactly would happen if the fire reaches the nuclear waste, but many predict a catastrophic event.

We need a safe and permanent solution to this serious issue. I will work closely with Sen. McCaskill and the rest of the Missouri delegation to ensure passage and enforcement of the recently-introduced bipartisan legislation to appoint the Army Corps of Engineers (Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program-FUSRAP) as the lead jurisdictional agency to handle the cleanup efforts. Once this legislation is passed, I will push for swift and complete implementation. The EPA has failed us and it's time for FUSRAP to take over. Additionally, homeowners and business owners have been betrayed by the landfill owners -- Republic Services. I will continue to work tirelessly to hold them accountable.

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