A tire landfill in Montana owned by Michael and Magdalena Adkins is expecting an Environmental Impact Statement soon that may allow their facility in Paradise Valley to store 280,000 tons of scrap tires and function for two decades.

This is not the first time the Adkins make an effort to introduce a facility of this kind; some years ago, they received the license from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for similar project, but it was put on pause in court as the judge ruled that DEQ had to make a more careful environmental evaluation. It is anticipated that this year’s impact statement would consider more environmental details.

Commenting on his project proposal, Michael Adkins said that it is the same as it was a couple of years ago. He also stressed that he is not engaging in tire incineration; instead he seeks to recycle rubber from tires in order to use the recycled material in road construction and other surfaces and products. Now he needs to find a temporary storage for waste tires.

Adkins also revealed that he has no plans to dig a new or bigger pit, rather he would use an existing one to fill it with tires. Five years ago, the entrepreneur was hopeful that his plan would allow employing over 22 people who would earn $40,000 annually.

In addition, Adkins stated that while he has been trying to get the permit for the project, he and his family had repeatedly received telephone-call threats. Apart from these threats, some critics voiced their concerns saying that the authorities shouldn’t give a permission to develop a “tire dump in the middle of one of the most beautiful valleys in Montana.” However, it is very probable that the initiative will finally get an endorsement.

Article by Livingston Enterprise.