Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan requesting assistance for the City of Bristol, Virginia regarding odors from the City’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility. Their letter follows the City’s request for assistance from the EPA sent on January 3, 2022.

“It is our understanding that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff has been involved in assisting Bristol with certain aspects of the landfill and we thank you for that assistance,” wrote the lawmakers. “As mentioned in the January 3rd letter, Bristol has also worked with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as well as private consultants and engineers in an attempt to address the odor issue plaguing the City and surrounding areas. However, despite these efforts, the malodor persists and continues to affect Bristol and the surrounding communities. At this time, we respectfully request that EPA provide all available resources to assist the City of Bristol in developing a mitigation strategy to resolve this issue.  Our offices stand ready to assist you and your staff in any way.”

The letter can be read in its entirety here or below.

The Honorable Michael S. Regan
Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460

Dear Administrator Regan:

We write today regarding the letter sent to you by the City of Bristol, Virginia, dated January 3, 2022. The Cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, along with the surrounding communities have been negatively impacted by the malodor originating from the City of Bristol’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility.

It is our understanding that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff has been involved in assisting Bristol with certain aspects of the landfill and we thank you for that assistance. As mentioned in the January 3^rd letter, Bristol has also worked with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as well as private consultants and engineers in an attempt to address the odor issue plaguing the City and surrounding areas. However, despite these efforts, the malodor persists and continues to affect Bristol and the surrounding communities. At this time, we respectfully request that EPA provide all available resources to assist the City of Bristol in developing a mitigation strategy to resolve this issue.  Our offices stand ready to assist you and your staff in any way.

Thank you for your attention to this issue. We look forward to hearing back from you on how the EPA can provide critical federal support to the City of Bristol.

Sincerely,

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