The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a civil penalty of more than $3 million for air quality violations at Coffin Butte Landfill, a 178-acre landfill north of Corvallis, the largest ever issued by the state. The Department of Economic Quality alleges that Valley Landfills, an Oregon subsidiary of Arizona-based Republic Services, failed to monitor, capture and control landfill gas emissions as required under federal and state law. The penalty largely represents the economic benefit Valley LandFills gained by avoiding emissions monitoring, failing to install new gas‑collection wells, operating inadequate landfill gas controls, and not making needed landfill cover repairs. The state could recalculate the fine if Valley Landsfills makes these improvements.