The Bay Area Air District filed a lawsuit this week against the operator of a Martinez landfill for allegedly violating air quality regulations set by local and state agencies.
The lawsuit alleges that the Acme Fill Corporation’s landfill, located at 950 Waterbird Way, illegally emitted methane and other toxic contaminants that exceeded the limits set by the Air District and the California Air Resources Board.
“We take our enforcement responsibilities seriously, and when facilities fail to comply with air quality regulations, we are prepared to pursue legal action to ensure violators are held accountable,” said Philip Fine, the Air District’s executive officer, in a statement.
The district is asking that the company pay up to $87,850 for its violations, with each violation costing $12,550 per day, according to the lawsuit.
Acme did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit comes nearly two years after the Air District said it conducted a compliance inspection on Aug. 24, 2023, that found four leaks that exceeded legal limits. The district said the inspection also found that the landfill’s gas collection system was leaking.
Two of those leaks exceeded methane and other organic compound limits by more than 30 and 20 times. The landfill exceeded emissions limits for one or two days, depending on the location of the leak, according to the complaint.
Methane is a “potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change,” Fine said in the statement. The Air District said methane is also linked to respiratory and cardiovascular harm and can contribute to smog formation.
The district issued two notices of violations on Jan. 9, 2024, for the leaks, according to the lawsuit. On May 23, the Air District issued another — unrelated to the lawsuit — notice of violation that regulates the gas collection systems at landfills, according to public records. The status of those notices is pending.
Since the alleged 2023 violations, an inspection conducted last year by the Air District found that the landfill had come into compliance with air quality regulations.
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