Officials at RiverStone Health said Wednesday they have approved of the disposal of pills and marijuana for years at the Billings Animal Control incinerator but were unaware that methamphetamine was burned there last week.
The agency, which is Yellowstone County's public-health department, released its statement from CEO and county Health Officer Jonathan Forte a week after 14 staff members at Yellowstone Valley Animal Services were sickened after a malfunction pushed the meth fumes into the shelter.
RiverStone acts as a liaison between the city and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and works in a regulatory role to ensure that protocols are followed.
"RiverStone Health’s regulatory role in the process is to ensure that the burn occurs within a permitted facility, with an operational incinerator that has been inspected regularly. RiverStone Health had no knowledge that the alternative burn on September 10, 2025, would be used for destroying methamphetamine," Forte wrote.
In addition, the city of Billings provided two letters indicating the city had sought and received permission from RiverStone on Aug. 12 to burn "illegal drugs" confiscated by the FBI at the city-owned facility. The city has a permit from 2010 from the Department of Environmental Quality that states only animal carcasses may be burned in the incinerator. DEQ is investigating the incident.
Below is the full release from RiverStone Health:
Billings, MT –For the past 20 years, RiverStone Health as the Yellowstone City-County Health Department has had the authority granted to us by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to inspect the incinerator at the Billings Animal Control facility attached to the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS).
RiverStone Health is contracted with DEQ to provide local compliance inspections, air quality monitoring, approval of alternative burn permits, and quarterly reports of all activities to DEQ, as part of the Yellowstone Air Quality Control Program.
Billings Police Department and the City of Billings followed the established protocols for notifying RiverStone Health environmental health staff of the scheduled burn on September 10, 2025, and it was approved based on the information provided.
RiverStone Health’s regulatory role in the process is to ensure that the burn occurs within a permitted facility, with an operational incinerator that has been inspected regularly.
RiverStone Health had no knowledge that the alternative burn on September 10, 2025, would be used for destroying methamphetamine.
Over the past two decades, local law enforcement and animal control have followed protocols for requesting approval for and safely completed the destruction of “illegal drugs” several times a year, without incident.
On multiple occasions, RiverStone Health environmental health staff witnessed the proper disposal of illegal drugs, verifying appropriate procedures and protocols were followed to ensure complete destruction of any harmful substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognizes high-temperature incineration as the safest and most effective method of drug destruction.
During those observed destructions, law enforcement destroyed pills or marijuana. Per our records, Health Department staff never witnessed or explicitly approved of the destruction of methamphetamine.
It is important to note that routine incineration uses high heat, operating at 1,400 – 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit in a closed loop system designed to prevent exposure to smoke, order or particulate matter during normal operations. The equipment utilized also contains specialized afterburners and filtration systems to reduce emissions into the community with no risk to the public’s health when functioning properly.
RiverStone Health is actively cooperating with DEQ and the City of Billings as the investigation into the root cause of this incident continues.
Jonathan P. Forte, MHA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Yellowstone City-County Health Officer
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