"Last Thursday, the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill endured yet another setback when the County of San Diego rescinded its determination that a key permit application for the dump was "complete and correct," agreeing instead with the Pala Band of Mission Indians and NRDC that the application was incomplete and riddled with errors.

As I blogged about previously, the landfill’s original operating permit was invalidated by the court in June of this year on the grounds that it improperly relied on faulty CEQA documentation. But that wasn’t the only problem with the application underlying that permit. In fact, it was filled with other serious errors, like failing to demonstrate whether the landfill company, Gregory Canyon Ltd. (GCL), has enough insurance to cover major accidents on site, or whether it has enough funding for the site's long-term care and maintenance.

On June 24th, GCL re-submitted virtually the same application, including the same errors, to the County, which rubber-stamped it as “complete and correct” apparently without reading it. It took detailed letters by the Pala Tribe and NRDC, pointing out the errors and calling for a public hearing, to get the County to take a second look. In response, the County immediately reversed its decision and deemed the application “incomplete,” which means GCL now has six months to supply the County with all of the required information and give an accurate accounting of its ability to finance and insure the dump."

Get the Story:
Damon Nagami: One More Setback For The Riverfront Dump; One More Triumph For The Pala Tribe And NRDC (SWiTCHBOARD 8/9)

Related Stories:
Opinion: California tribes incensed over landfill near sacred site (7/12)
Army Corps reviews landfill project near California sacred site (7/6)
Pala Band continues battle against landfill near reservation (6/4)
Pala Band wins treatment as state from EPA (10/31)
State board approves landfill opposed by Pala Band (12/15)
Tally shows defeat for tribe's anti-landfill measure (11/04)
Tribe's landfill battle rests on election day (10/29)
Pala Band's battle against landfill a costly one (10/08)
Pala Band raises water in fight against landfill (09/28)
Pala Band fights to keep anti-landfill measure on ballot (09/08)
Pala Band's anti-landfill measure taken off ballot (9/6)
Pala Band to help clean up illegal trash dump (08/12)
Pala Band's anti-landfill measure placed on ballot (08/04)
Pala Band's anti-landfill measure safe for now (07/01)
Pala Tribe defends initiative against landfill (6/24)
Utility district backs Pala Tribe in landfill battle (05/25)
Pala Tribe gaining support for vote against landfill (5/21)
California tribe files ballot initiative to stop landfill (05/04)
Calif. tribe wages campaign against planned landfill (03/26)
Tribe asks voters to stop landfill near reservation (3/23)