WM's Statement upon Conclusion of Visit by USEPA Regional Administrator
Kettleman City, CA, February 3, 2010 — On February 3, Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region IX, toured WM’s Kettleman Hills Facility. Administrator Blumenfeld visited the facility to view first-hand one of the region’s most advanced hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities.
After the visit, the following statement was issued by Bob Henry, Senior District Manager of the WM Kettleman Hills Facility:
“We were pleased to welcome Jared Blumenfeld for his first visit to our Kettleman Hills Facility. We were proud to showcase our sophisticated, state-of-the-art facility and provide him an opportunity to see, firsthand, why we set the standard for safely managing hazardous waste.
WM and the USEPA have the shared goals of environmental protection and stewardship.
As one of the highest quality and best regulated facilities in the country, WM and our staff at the Kettleman Hills Facility are very aware of their unique position to make a positive impact on the lives of those who live and work near the site in Kings County.
We discussed with Administrator Blumenfeld the many environmental exposures that area residents face each day — from the more than 5.5 million trucks passing through on I-5 each year to drinking water quality. We hope that this dialogue with USEPA will help improve the lives of the Kettleman City community and Kings County.”
WM’s Kettleman Hills Facility has been an integral part of the Kings County Community for more than 28 years. The facility is permitted to handle municipal solid waste and hazardous waste, both of which are heavily regulated, monitored