LANDFILL REGULATIONS MUST BE CLEARLY DEFINED

One complaint about the swollen federal government is that it tries to do too much, reaching into the lives of citizens when actions of individuals would serve better. In maddening contrast to this, however, is government's remarkable capacity for doing little in communication. Regarding the dilemma of new regulations governing landfills, the only action that has been touched off is head-scratching. Not even seasoned public servants can figure out what to do.

The city of Jackson operates a landfill. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources believes that landfill may have to be closed in October in accordance with new regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. City officials in Jackson interpret the law differently, saying the landfill has decades of life left, and, in fact, possesses written authorization to remain open until next April. The response gained by seeking a definitive ruling on this question is shrugged shoulders.

Gene Huckstep, presiding commissioner of the Cape Girardeau County Commission and chairman of a regional solid waste management group, describes the current climate as "mass confusion." Jackson City Administrator Carl Talley said last week he had heard only a "rumor" of the landfill's possible closure. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said he believes the federal government wants to make compliance so difficult that the city opts to close the landfill rather than conform.

At least one problem in this communication gap is that Jackson believes itself to be meeting all current rules and regulations, but higher environmental authorities keep compliance at arm's length. The federal government shows no reluctance to change the rules on short notice, and no local official ever feels on safe ground. If Mayor Sander feels the regulations are "unreasonable and questionable" and Commissioner Huckstep, an old hand at dealing with state and federal agencies, feels the October deadline is "unrealistic and unattainable," the evidence points to a convoluted policy with elastic enforcement.

What would benefit the region's officials who are concerned about the status of this landfill and the future of solid waste disposal? Foremost, they could use some rules they can recognize from day to day and an enforcement procedure that provides clear direction for compliance. No public official in this region wants the environment damaged; many have better records as stewards of the land than those who enforce EPA standards. We take this confusion over landfill regulations as a signal that federal authorities should better define the rules they send down.