By Jabob Wallace, Waste Dive Editor
Hamm, the owner and operator of a landfill in Lawrence, Kansas, agreed to pay a $4,206 civil fine and use drones and light detection and ranging technology to monitor methane emissions and ensure the landfill’s cover integrity, the U.S. EPA’s Region 7 announced last week.
Deploying drones t o detect methane leaks (video)
Inspectors determined that the landfill violated Clean Air Act regulations during a site visit in March 2022. Hamm allegedly exceeded methane emissions standards and failed to correct the emissions, per a release.
Hamm is expected to pay about $30,000 to implement the technologies. The operator proposed using Sniffer Robotics’ drones for its monitoring, according to EPA. It’s the first settlement involving the use of drones for surface emissions monitoring, an EPA spokesperson said via email.
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