Senator calls landfill State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa opposes the city's expected request to expand Oahu's only landfill, calling it "environmental racism" in a letter to Health Director Bruce Anderson.
expansion racist
The Waianae landfill is expected
to hit legal capacity in 3 monthsBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comThe city landfill at Waimanalo Gulch in Waianae, which is part of the district Hanabusa represents, is nearing its legal limit. The landfill is projected to be three months from either getting a permit exemption or being shut down.
The city's plans to expand the landfill are behind schedule, and requests for exemptions have not been filed with the state.
City officials were not available for comment.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has also written Anderson telling him he is "opposed to giving the city any kind of permit modification or extension for its Leeward landfill."
"To do so would be unfair to the Leeward residents and would impede the development of the Ko Olina Resort and the second city of Kapolei.
"Moreover, it's time the city get ready to move its landfill operations to the Windward side of the island," Cayetano wrote.
In her letter to Anderson, Hanabusa (D, Waianae) said both the city and the landfill operator, Waste Management Inc. of Hawaii, have "failed miserably in their efforts to protect the environment or address the health and safety concerns of the community."
The operation was described as "environmental racism" by Hanabusa because the surrounding Waianae area is economically depressed.
"Environmental racism occurs when lower-income communities and/or minority communities disproportionately bear the burdens and risk of environmental protection policies while the associated benefits are enjoyed throughout society," Hanabusa said.
"The city's failure to address the municipal solid-waste disposal issue should not mean that the people of the Waianae Coast, Kapolei, Ko Olina, Honokai Hale and Nanakai Gardens and Makakilo must now pay the price," she wrote to Anderson.
The state health director was out of town yesterday, but Gary Gill, deputy director for environmental health, said the city has yet to send an application to modify its permit.
"They have not submitted anything to us regarding a permit modification," Gill said.
He warned that because the city has not offered any other plans for another landfill, it would not be able to move quickly, even to the Windward side as Cayetano suggested.
The city, however, must still either ask for a permit modification or get ready to shut down the landfill.
"If they deviate from the conditions of their existing permit, they are in violation of three existing permits, and they are subject to fines and penalties," Gill said.
"But if it goes above height and they are three days away from getting permit modification, that is a whole different story than if they never applied for one."