A serious game of chicken is being played out over the future of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill in west O`ahu. The City and County of Honolulu’s permit to operate the only municipal solid waste landfill on the island expires in less than a year, on April 30, 2008. Despite multi-million-dollar improvements that are already underway to extend the life of the landfill for three years, the operator, Waste Management of Hawai`i, Inc., has not yet applied for a permit extension. The city’s consultant, R.M. Towill, has not completed a draft environmental impact statement for a proposed 60-acre expansion of the landfill. Finally, allegations of permit violations and proposed fines totaling $2.8 million against the city and Waste Management remain unresolved.

So the question is: Can the city and Waste Management secure a new permit or extend the existing one before it expires? While state officials suggest that it’s possible, two legal proceedings – a U.S. District Court case and a DOH contested case hearing over a violation notice issued in January 2006 – could stand in the way. In late June, the city announced it would be seeking an extension of the permit for 20 months, but had not yet begun the permitting process.