Join us in protecting our community from Pacific Steel's toxic Automobile Shredder Residue landfill.
Basic Facts of Pacific Steel's Class II Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) landfill:
Text in quotes pulled directly from the final Environmental Assessment published by MT DEQ on June 11, 2024:
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"Site would accept at least 25,000 tons of ASR annually from PSR facilities, so there is no need for a scale or office area at this time."
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"Air Space Capacity – 8.03 million cubic yards"
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"Solid Waste Capacity – 6.69 million cubic yards or 3.06 million tons"
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"The estimated facility life expectancy is 122 years."
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"The life estimate is based on an effective waste to soil ratio of 5:1 and in-place density of 915 LB/CY. This equates to a volume per ton ratio of 2.62 CY/Ton."
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"PSR would only accept Class II waste in the License area. No restricted and/or special waste. PSR proposes to begin construction on June 17, 2024. PSR proposes a start date for landfilling on January 1, 2025."
Pacific Steel and Recycling proposed a Class 2 Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) landfill on the northwest corner of the intersection of Highway 87 and Shepherd Acton Road (45.9435016, -108.4681326). Montana DEQ has approved their application, as of June 11, 2024.
See Montana DEQ's Public Notice:
https://deq.mt.gov/News/publicnotices-folder/PacificSteel-solidwaste-06-10-24
This would be the first ever concentrated Automobile Shredder Residue landfill in the country!
Current Status: We are currently in litigation and are being represented by Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, despite ongoing construction of the landfill. Cottonwood filed the lawsuit June 18, 2024.
File a complaint for construction:
Click the link to file a complaint/report pollution with DEQ for the ongoing landfill construction.
Our group has been actively reporting lack of dust suppression on site.
File A Complaint
Instructions
1) Scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the boxes.
2) Responsible party, "Pacific Steel and Recycling"
3) Use the intersection description, "Northwest corner of Shepherd Acton Road and Highway 87".
4) Leave address blank
What is ASR?
Pacific Steel's ASR via Ren Wadsworth KULR-8 Multimedia Journalist
From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, "When end-of-life vehicles are recycled by shredding, there is a large amount of residue created. Shredder residue is the non-metallic waste material remaining after removal of metal scrap from shredded vehicles, household and commercial appliances, or other shredded items. Shredder residue is also known as shredder fluff, shredder flock, or automotive shredder residue (ASR). Common contaminates found in ASR include polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and metals, while lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC’s) may also be found."
From the Final Environmental Assessment, Montana Department of Environmental Quality States, "ASR is generated from separating recyclable scrap parts during shredding of automobiles. The “fluff” portion of this separated waste is what would be landfilled at the Site. It is mainly composted of plastics and trace metal and other waste that could not be separated. ASR is considered a Group II waste, commonly referred to as municipal solid waste (MSW), which may include decomposable wastes and some mixed solid wastes of appreciably decomposable materials. Group II waste may also broadly share the common materials and characteristics of almost all other waste groups, or select wastes (such as household hazardous, commercial, industrial, asbestos, TENORM, exempted remediation). Group II waste may not include hazardous, radioactive, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), mining, and a few other wastes as defined by federal EPA."
Donations
Please help support our cause by donating to the following links / organizations. By directly donating to the law firm representing us, it will avoid any fees that GoFundMe tacks on.
What is PFAS and Why is it Important?
From the lawsuit (complaint) filed on June 18, 2024, Cottonwood Environmental Law Center stated,
"On June 11, 2024, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) issued a license to Pacific Steel and Recycling (“PSR”) to construct a new landfill in the community of Shepherd, Montana. The proposed landfill would dispose of Automotive Shredder Residue, which contains a group of toxic chemicals commonly known as PFAS. The U.S. EPA has determined that exposure to PFAS increases the risk of cancer, birth defects, and decreased fertility. The DEQ refers to PFAS as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down.
Plaintiff, Stop the Shepherd Landfill (“STSL”), requests that the Court vacate the license and enjoin construction of the proposed landfill until the agency revises the Environmental Assessment that was prepared to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of the proposed landfill. The Environmental Assessment violated the Montana Constitution and Montana Environmental Policy Act by failing to take a hard look at the impacts of PFAS. Specifically, the DEQ did not compile, analyze, and disclose all of the relevant documents in the agency’s possession regarding PFAS. The Environmental Assessment did not disclose the information in its possession that states landfills are a major source of PFAS and that exposure can have adverse impacts to humans and the environment. The agency did not explain why winds in the area would not carry PFAS off-site. The agency did not explain how the liners of the proposed landfill would be impacted by PFAS. The agency did not explain why it would stop monitoring the groundwater 30 years after the proposed 3 landfill closes when the toxic PFAS chemicals last forever and do not break down. Plaintiff’s comments raised substantial questions as to whether the proposed toxic landfill may have significant effects on the environment, thereby triggering the need to prepare a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement."
Click the link to read the entire lawsuit/complaint.
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MT DEQ) links about PFAS:
1) Montana PFAS Action Plan June 2020
3) MT DEQ Main PFAS Program Web Page
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) links about PFAS:
1) Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS
“The Montana Constitution requires the DEQ, not citizens, to thoroughly analyze the impacts of proposed actions such as this toxic landfill. When there are substantial questions about the impacts on the health of residents, the DEQ must prepare a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement instead of a cursory Environmental Assessment.”
John Meyer, the attorney at Cottonwood Environmental Law Center
