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MT DEQ mails a letter with a link to the Draft Environmental Assessment to a few nearby landowners, for a 10 public comment period. A Montana Department of Environmental Quality letter was sent to a few nearby landowners stating (with limited days into the 10 day public comment period) to review a 37 paged Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and a 817 paged application for a proposed landfill near Billings. The letter was vague, mentioning the landfill's location ("seven miles north of Billings") but lacking details about the landfill's intersection and did not mention ASR (automobile shredder residue). The public comment period was set to close on October 30, 2023. A 10 day public comment period for a new project of this magnitude, especially the first ever landfill of its type, is essentially unheard of. Through FOIA requests, it was discovered that the DEQ agreed to fast track the project for Pacific Steel's funding requirements.

MT DEQ extends the public comment period 30 days. The public comment period is extended 30 days, for a total of a 40 day public comment period. Public comment period for the draft EA ends November 30, 2023.

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center represented Stop the Shepherd Landfill and filed a complaint against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on June 18, 2024. See the tab "Lawsuit" at the top of our webpage.

By October 24th, Anellise Deters, a local resident, crafted an informational flier. From October 25th through October 27th, other local residents gathered to pass out fliers, and visit homes to inform the community about the proposed landfill. The community was outraged and blind-sided. We quickly gathered by the hundreds and "Stop the Shepherd Landfill" was formed, representing those AGAINST Pacific Steel's ASR landfill.

On November 21, 2023, a public meeting was conducted by Montana Department of Environmental Quality at Shepherd High School. The sound system MT DEQ brought did not work very well. Most of the community members could not hear, so many left early. Those who did stay and had questions, had to write their questions on a notecard. MT DEQ, reworded, filtered, and chose which questions to address and read aloud. To get some questions heard, the leaders of Stop the Shepherd Landfill started shouting out remarks and questions without a microphone. To see the full recording, visit our YouTube link.

Construction on site of the landfill began August 12, 2024 and has been ongoing since.

Community began sending requests for a 60 day extension of the public comment period from MT DEQ. Hundreds of emails were sent to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality requesting a 60 day extension on the 10 day public comment period.

MT DEQ issues the Final Environmental Assessment, announcing construction to start on June 17, 2024 The Final Environmental Assessment stated construction was to began in 6 days, on June 17, 2024.