Intellectual Property, Fair Use, and Content Provenance
This page explains the rights basis for the different categories of content on arborhillsmonitor.org, and how to raise an IP concern.
1. Government regulatory records
The majority of content on this site -- permit documents, violation notices, consent orders, inspection reports, monitoring data, and other materials -- consists of public regulatory records filed with or published by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or other government agencies.
U.S. federal government works produced in the exercise of official duties are not subject to copyright protection (17 U.S.C. 105) and are in the public domain. Michigan state and local government records are treated differently under U.S. law: there is no equivalent statute placing them in the public domain, so we present and quote them as public records that the State does not generally assert copyright in, and, where applicable, under fair use in a reporting and commentary context.
We present these records accurately and with attribution to the source document and agency. Each record links to its primary source: on the official agency portal where the record is available there, and/or to an archived copy of the original document kept in the project’s Google Drive.
2. Original site content
The original written analysis, commentary, data visualizations, source code, and other content created by the site's publisher are copyright Landfill Records Project LLC 2022–2026.
The monitor's source code is published under an open-source license at the project's GitHub repository (github.com/tkunst/arbor-hills-monitor); see the repository's LICENSE file for terms.
You are welcome to link to any page on this site. For permission to reproduce substantial original text or visualizations beyond fair use, contact us at [email protected].
3. Photographs and video (the 2022-event)
Photographs and video on the 2022 Subsurface Event page document a landfill-related event in the summer of 2022 and are described on that page as "public-information photographs and video."
Provenance (confirmed 2026-09-15): These photographs and video were taken by Michigan EGLE inspectors in their official capacity during inspection of the facility, and were provided to the publisher by EGLE personnel, who confirmed in writing that the publisher may publish them. They are government-created public records, lawfully obtained.
We reproduce them to document a matter of public concern -- environmental conditions at a regulated facility -- as recorded by the state's own inspectors. As Michigan public records they are not covered by the federal public-domain statute (17 U.S.C. 105, which applies only to federal works); we publish them as public records the State does not generally assert copyright in, and, in any event, as fair use in a reporting and commentary context. We credit EGLE as the source.
If you are the rights holder of any photograph or video on this site and believe it is published without authorization, please contact us at [email protected] with documentation of your ownership. We will respond promptly.
4. Maps -- base layers and tile attribution
Pages on this site include interactive maps. These maps use the following third-party components:
Leaflet.js -- open-source JavaScript mapping library (BSD 2-Clause license; copyright Leaflet contributors).
ESRI World Imagery tiles -- satellite imagery base layer from Esri and its data providers (Esri, HERE, Garmin, Intermap, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS user community). Use is subject to Esri's tile-service attribution requirements. Attribution text is displayed on the map per Esri's requirements.
OpenStreetMap tiles -- map data from OpenStreetMap contributors, copyright OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Attribution is displayed on the map per OpenStreetMap's attribution requirements.
The spatial data overlaid on these maps -- well locations, monitor station coordinates, parcel boundaries, and regulatory sampling points -- is derived from public regulatory records and is not subject to third-party copyright claims.
5. Thermal and surface-exceedance map data
The wellfield temperature and hydrogen-sulfide data visualized on the thermal map, the wellfield explorer, and the H2S pages are derived from public regulatory filings by the landfill operator to EGLE, from EGLE's own inspection and sampling reports, and from the operator's publicly accessible perimeter-monitoring feed (Barr Engineering). These records are regulatory filings or public disclosures; the site's analysis and visualization of those records is original work by the publisher.
6. GFL documents, filings, and press materials
Where pages present or quote GFL Environmental's own regulatory filings, permit applications, annual reports, or public statements, these are attributed to GFL and presented as what GFL filed or said -- not as independent findings. Use of factual regulatory content in a commentary, criticism, or public-interest context is consistent with fair use.
If GFL or any of its affiliates believes any specific use of its materials is not permitted, it may use the process in Section 7 below.
7. IP infringement claims
If you believe any content on this site infringes your intellectual property rights, contact us at [email protected] with:
- Identification of the copyrighted work you believe is infringed.
- Identification of the material on this site you believe is infringing, and its URL.
- Your contact information.
- A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use is not authorized.
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf.
We will review the claim and respond. If we determine content was used without authorization, we will remove or correct it promptly.