"Environmental groups said the rule revisions constitute “low hanging fruit” to lower emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, which would benefit both neighbors and the climate."
"When the Hawthorne Park Landfill opened in 1977, it transformed everyday life for residents of Carverdale, a historically Black neighborhood in northwest Houston. Myra Jefferson has seen pests and roaches from the dump multiply over the decades and remembers yellow dust from the rot sticking to everything.
“The odors were deplorable. Oh my god, you’d learn how to take small breaths,” said Jefferson, 70, who worked for years as a court reporter and government employee in the community.
The landfill stifled the neighborhood’s potential, she said, and discouraged businesses from moving into Carverdale. In 1995, Jefferson created the nonprofit Revitalize America Partnership to spur economic opportunities in Carverdale and neighborhoods across Houston.
The landfill, which opened as a 10-acre lot, was acquired by Waste Management Inc. in 1996 and now stretches across 171 acres. In 2021, through its subsidiary USA Waste of Texas Landfills, the company sought to add another 38 acres and increase the height of its trash piles."
Keaton Peters reports for Inside Climate News February 28, 2024.
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