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Local advocates urge ADEM to require enforceable odor standards, independent monitoring and community benefits before expansion
Summary
Portia Shepherd, representing Black Belt Women Rising, urged the department to address decades of impacts from the Arrowhead Landfill, including coal ash near homes, a high rate of complaints with no corrective action, and large unused capacity in the application; she requested enforceable odor standards, independent monitoring, a public odor dashboard and a community relief fund as conditions for any expansion.
Portia Shepherd, speaking for Black Belt Women Rising, urged the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to pause any expansion of Arrowhead Landfill until long-standing community concerns are addressed. Shepherd recounted coal ash dumped near homes and churches, persistent odors and dust, and what she described as inadequate responses to resident complaints since the landfill was first announced in 2005.
Shepard cited a review attributed to the University of North Carolina and told the hearing "approximately 63 percent of unique complaints have not recorded corrective action," saying that indicates a pattern of inaction. Shepherd also challenged the necessity of the expansion, citing figures from the permit application she said show the landfill has substantial unused capacity: "as of October 24... the landfill has 80,336,343 yards of unused space," which she equated to about "60,252,757 tons of available space," while she said the application reports only 3,658,936 tons currently placed. "This expansion is not being requested out of necessity," she said; "to me, it seems like it is requested for profit."
She asked the department to require measurable, enforceable odor standards, independent monitoring rather than industry self-reporting, corrective-action triggers that mandate follow-up, and community benefits tied to any expansion such as a community relief fund, infrastructure investments, and a seat at environmental oversight for local residents. Shepherd said Uniontown has carried burdens for 20 years and asked ADEM to ensure any future permit protects community well-being first.
ADEM closed the hearing by reminding attendees that the public comment period will end at 5:00 PM on Dec. 22, 2025, and that all comments must be submitted to the department's offices in Montgomery by that time.
