Landfill Air Test Bill Clears Senate

The Rhode Island Senate today approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Frank Lombardo III (D-Johnston) that requires to install four new air monitors for the Central Landfill.

In a statement released this afternoon, Lombardo said the bill is meant as another step to prevent the .

“Resource Recovery has an obligation to the health and welfare of its neighbors and the safety of the environment,” said Lombardo. “Fixing a problem after it happens is not satisfactory. The corporation needs to be prepared, to be aware of what is going on before it gets too bad.”

Under the new bill, RIRRC would set up four ambient air monitors that could pick up the presence of gases escaping from the landfill — three in Johnston and one in Cranston — and submit reports to both communities and the state Departments of Health and Environmental Management, and to post results on its website.

The monitoring would continue until 2032, Lombardo noted.

“We need to make sure we take all necessary precautions regarding air quality around the landfill because these airborne contaminants are not just a nuisance and they don’t just smell bad," Lombardo said. "They can be harmful to people’s health."

Johnston Rep. Stephen R. Ucci submitted a companion bill in the House, which the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources passed this week.