Coffin Butte Landfill Expansion Update

August 21, 2025 (from CoffinButteFacts.org)

Republic Services (RS) appealed the Planning Commission’s (PC’s) unanimous denial, so now there will be a NEW public hearing, this time before our elected Board of Commissioners (BOC). This new hearing is expected to be sometime in October (dates TBA).

What to know:

1) RS requested (and was granted) a 60 day extension, so now BOC must hold a brand new (“de novo”) public hearing and come to their decision by Nov 26, 2025 – the day before Thanksgiving… unless RS grants yet another extension. Per county code RS cannot extend the process past Jan 15, 2026 (365 days from the date their application was originally deemed complete).

2) If BOC upholds PC’s denial, RS has the option to appeal to the state Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). [If BOC reverses PC’s decision, however, RS can legally begin expansion while WE appeal to LUBA. Our strong hope is that BOC won’t have the stomach to overturn a unanimous denial by their PC, coupled by intense pressure from the voting public.]