The dispute over the Carolina landfill’s expansion entered a new phase after Caribbean Golf Academy formally asked Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) to open an administrative adjudicatory process on the facility’s permit renewal, arguing that a recent court ruling requires a full review. The request came through an informational motion filed by the academy, which together with Hacienda Campo Rico owns property adjacent to the landfill.
Luis Rivera Ortiz, president of both companies, said Monday they seek a formal proceeding where affected parties can present evidence and challenge the renewal. The companies allege the expansion was carried out illegally, that the renewal of an expired permit cannot be used to legitimize unauthorized development into environmentally protected land, and that the Municipality of Carolina and operator Landfill Gas Technologies violated permit conditions by operating outside authorized areas and causing leachate discharges.
At issue is the Buffer Zone, part of Puerto Rico’s karst region and the Piñones State Forest Special Planning Area: Rivera Ortiz says the landfill expanded into roughly 16.5 acres (17 cuerdas, a land measure of about 0.97 acre) of a 34-acre buffer. He alleges nondisclosure in the 2011 and 2024 renewal filings and asks the DNER to require a comprehensive environmental review before approving any renewal, though the academy is not opposed to the landfill operating lawfully. The DNER and the municipality had not immediately responded.