In December 2023, Lane County’s Board of Commissioners—in a split 3-2 vote—approved a draft contract to construct an expensive, risky, and unnecessary new Integrated Materials and Energy Recovery Facility (IMERF) in Goshen. This $150 million project will further raise the cost of living for all Lane County residents by increasing utility bills now and in the future. EPUD customers will be hit particularly hard.

Over the past six months, significant legal concerns have been raised about the contract with a private Corporation, Bulk Handling Systems (BHS). Despite this, County staff has continued to negotiate with BHS in private and has provided no updates to the public.

The County Board of Commissioners will hold a closed (non-public) meeting on Tuesday, June 25 to discuss the project. During or after this meeting, the County may then decide to simply move forward without further public discussion or a vote on the final contract. Given the magnitude of this project, and the higher costs this will put on Lane County residents, this is simply unacceptable. 

Our Ask of the County:

• Stop this rush forward to build the expensive, risky IMERF facility
• Focus instead on proven methods of waste management
• Double down on the existing partnership with EPUD at the Short Mountain Landfill

Please make your voice heard by signing this petition before it's too late.

Read more about the impact of this facility here: https://www.epud.org/call-to-action-short-mountain/

Note: After significant public pushback, the County has now decided to re-brand the IMERF project as the "CleanLane Resource Recovery Facility". This attempt to confuse the public does not change the fundamental issues with this project: it's an expensive, risky, and unnecessary facility that will raise utility rates for all Lane County citizens.