Coffin Butte Landfill exempts most of surface from methane monitoring

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A new study found Coffin Butte Landfill exempted up to 93% of its surface from required methane leak monitoring.

The landfill's owner, Republic Services, has not received state permission for these exemptions, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

The EPA is investigating the landfill for Clean Air Act violations after finding methane leaks exceeding federal limits in 2022 and 2024.

Coffin Butte Landfill last year exempted as much as 93% of its operating surface from required monitoring for methane leak s , claiming exempted areas were too steep, too vegetated or too dangerous for testers to walk on, according to a new study from the Eugene-based environmental group Beyond Toxics.

State law allows landfills to exempt certain areas from mo