Attorney General's News Release

June 11, 2008

Agreement to control methane from old landfills will allow Stone Canyon development to proceed safely, Nixon says

Independence, Mo. - An agreement obtained by Attorney General Jay Nixon will address environmental concerns about methane gas at a residential and golf course development in Independence and allow the project to proceed safely. Under the consent decree filed today in Jackson County Circuit Court, Sailors-Woods Development LLC will take over The Links at Stone Canyon, the project being built partially on the site of two now-closed sanitary landfills.

The purchase means Sailors-Woods will ultimately be responsible for complying with the permits for the landfills, for evaluating and mitigating any methane gas threats, and for correcting any outstanding issues identified by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Sailors-Woods already owned property around the proposed golf course for the construction of homes.

"It was vital to address our concerns about methane at this site," Nixon said. "This agreement does that, and provides the go-ahead for this project to safely move forward."

Under the terms of the consent decree, construction of the golf course may be completed and construction of the residential development may proceed in four phases. This construction will be subject to approval by the MDNR as the developers demonstrate that the gas is not a threat. The developers will provide the department with a $500,000 financial assurance instrument to secure the construction, operation and maintenance of a working gas control system.

The department also will modify the permits for the landfills as the environmental concerns are addressed and as the construction of the residences then proceed safely. Sailors-Woods also will establish restrictive covenants for the homes at the site to ensure that all the homes include a passive venting system designed by a professional engineer registered in Missouri.

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