The Alabama Department of Environmental Management announced the formation of a group to decide if changes in laws, regulations, and resources are necessary in the wake of the fire at a landfill in Moody. The group will consist of officials at state and local levels.
The lack of response to the fire revealed shortcomings of state and local governments’ abilities to handle situations that are not within their defined regulated activities, even though those situations may be harmful to the public.
“The underground fire was an unprecedented event that unfortunately affected numerous residents,” ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said. “It also showed gaps in the authority and ability of both state and local governmental to respond and effectively deal with it. No agency in the state had the resources or expertise to extinguish such a fire.”
He also spoke about the goal of the group.
“What we hope to do by forming this working group is determine what we need to be better prepared and able to respond more effectively should a similar situation happen in the future,” he said.
The members are LeFleur; Jeff Smitheran, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency; Rick Oates, state forester with the Alabama Forestry Commissior; Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama; Greg Cochran, executive director of the Alabama League of Municipalities; State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City); and State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville).
Bell and Garrett represent areas impacted by the fire.
“The smoke from this fire has created hardships for a lot of people in the area,” Bell said. “They are worried about their health, their homes and even their businesses. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“But if it does, we want to make sure the necessary resources are in place to deal with it.”
The landfill fire has been burning since November.
Originally, the Moody Fire Department responded but couldn’t do anything due to the fire burning underground. ADEM then took things over and requested assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who said that it lacked the authority to act.
With limited options remaining, state officials then asked the EPA to conduct air-monitoring tests around the site of the fire. Those tests showed high levels of benzene and other chemicals in the smoke, which warranted the EPA to step in.
The agency has been attempting to put the fire out since Jan. 18 and it anticipates that it could take several more weeks to extinguish the blaze.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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