(AP) The state has issued a “draft extension permit” for the landfill near Kettleman City, despite claims by some people who live there that toxins already in the dump have caused birth defects.
The permit would allow expansion of the landfill by five million cubic yards. The site is operated by Chemical Waste Management. It currently holds 10 million cubic yards of highly toxic waste from all over the western U.S.
Environmental groups and people who live near the site in the Central Valley have opposed the expansion for years. And the operators of the landfill have been fined repeatedly by state and federal regulators. The owners of the dump say there’s no evidence it is connected to cancer or birth defects because of its toxic contents.
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