As the government prepares to shut down the nation’s oldest and largest landfill in the United States, thousands of workers are working to ensure that the landfills remain open for construction.
Landfill workers in the U.S. are tasked with keeping the landfilled landfilling sites functioning.
The government has put up $7 billion in grants and loan guarantees for projects that would close the land-fill sites, including $3.5 billion in a $1.5-billion loan guarantee for the Lake Tahoe landfill.
Construction of the new Lake Tahoes landfill has been plagued by delays.
As of Wednesday, the Lake County Fire Authority had issued nearly 1,200 permits to the public, which had been allotted about 7,400 square feet.
The county expects to receive the final permits at the end of March.
Workers in the construction industry have been at a high risk of exposure to lead.
The Environmental Protection Agency has put a moratorium on new lead emissions from construction sites.
In the past, federal and state governments have issued permits to companies that would operate the landfill.
According to a report by the University of Michigan, there have been 835 deaths associated with the disposal of hazardous waste, including about 6,300 deaths from the Lake Shore landfill.