Billy Gibbens, background, at lecturn, speaks Tuesday, April 21, 2026, inside the James C. Simmons Community Center in Avondale before a packed room about the proposed expansion of River Birch landfill in Jefferson and St. Charles parishes. Many residents spoke against the west bank expansion, but Gibbens said the growth is needed for renewable energy initiatives and to keep the landfill’s gas collection system going.
