ST. LOUIS — A plan to clean up nuclear weapons waste at the West Lake Landfill in the St. Louis area is expected to be released in January.
During a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Friday, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt says it’s taken the government too long to address the site’s issues.
“About 8,000 tons of uranium co-mingle with 38,000 tons of solid waste, dispersed over a very large geographic area, buried about 80 feet deep,” says Pruitt. “It’s taken the agency 27 years to make a decision on whether to excavate or cap the site,” said Pruitt.
He says the wait is unacceptable.
“There are proposals that I’m looking at this month to make a decision on West Lake. It’s a very important issue to the people of St. Louis,” said Pruitt.
Those who live or have lived in the landfill area have reported a list of health battles, including cancer, autoimmune disease, some cannot have children and some children born with deformities.
