KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsKings County toxic waste dump gets OK to expand
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Associated Press - October 20, 2009 4:54 PM ET
HANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Kings County planners have approved the expansion of a hazardous waste facility in Kettleman City, even as state health officials continue weighing the project's possible impacts.
The facility is 1 of the largest hazardous waste dumps in the country, and a large employer in the county's rural reaches near Interstate 5.
Monday, county planning commissioners voted 4-0 to approve Waste Management's plan to expand its facility to store hazardous materials for up to 35 years.
Environmental advocates plan to appeal the decision. Community members have asked local, state and federal officials to investigate concerns that 5 of 20 babies born in the town over a 14-month period ending late last year had similar birth defects.
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