COLFAX – Neighbors of a Grant Parish hazardous waste disposal facility are fighting the renewal of its state operating permit. They say Clean Harbors Colfax has faced few repercussions for serious past violations at its burn pit, and they fear the continued open burning of materials there will lead to further groundwater and soil contamination and health problems for people who live as far as 10 miles away.

John Munsen Jr., who lives near the facility, believes the original permit was illegally issued to Clean Harbors and should be canceled altogether. At a community hearing Thursday, he said the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) didn’t follow a “five-step inquiry” a court ruling says is required when it first issued the permit, and it still isn’t following it now.

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