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Mark Binker over at the N&R reports that a moratorium on landfills in NC has passed the NC House. The time has been reduced from an 18 month moratorium passed by the Senate to a 12 month moratorium. The proposal will have to go back to the Senate for approval and then to the Governor for final approval.
There is also a good article in the Raleigh N&O with a little more details about the moratorium and the reasons it should be passed.
I haven't read the new version, but any legislation on this order has to be a good thing. I hope it hasn't been diluted a lot and that money has been set aside for a study of the impact of more garbage dumps, especially the huge ones being considered.
While the short moratorium is in place, our state and local communities should seriously consider better ways to handle by-products of our throw-away society. There are many Trash-to-Energy processes that should be studied.
http://blog.news-record.com/staff/capblog/archives/2006/07/landfill_morato_1.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/125/story/464748.html
I know, I know ! ! !
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Many of us are tired of talking trash. But the impending deluge of it that might be coming into North Carolina if we don't fix our current laws is frightening to those of us who value clean water and a less polluted environment.
Huge garbage dumps planned by private waste companies pit (pun intended) quick, easy, temporary financial gain for poor counties against long term care of our world.
Please read this from the Raleigh News & Observer about the Landfill Moratorium Bill being considered in the NC Legislature.
Also, follow the money and the professional lobbying.
There are better ways to handle the waste products of our consumer society. Think about it.
http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/463246.html
Many of us are tired of talking trash. But the impending deluge of it that might be coming into North Carolina if we don't fix our current laws is frightening to those of us who value clean water and a less polluted environment.
Huge garbage dumps planned by private waste companies pit (pun intended) quick, easy, temporary financial gain for poor counties against long term care of our world.
Please read this from the Raleigh News & Observer about the Landfill Moratorium Bill being considered in the NC Legislature.
Also, follow the money and the professional lobbying.
There are better ways to handle the waste products of our consumer society. Think about it.
http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/463246.html
QUESTIONS ABOUT VOTING ? ? ?
_____
Chris McGinn from the Guilford County Board of Elections will be a guest on my little segment of the Dusty Dunn Morning Show tomorrow morning, July 19. Mr. McGinn is the instructor of GTCC classes in how to Become a Certified Precinct Official. So, he should have the answers to all of your questions about voting and election laws.
Tune in to 1070 AM on your radio dial or listen to us on the web at WGOS.net around 8:35 Wednesday morning (THAT'S TOMORROW).
If you want to ask Chris a questions about when, where, registering, and other questions about voting, election laws, or just talk about voting in North Carolina in general, you can call the studio line at (336) 434-5024 during the show.
I have some questions and comments for Chris and I would love to hear from any of you. If you are not comfortable being "on the radio" just leave a comment on my blog and I will relay the message to Chris on the air. Or you can e-mail your questions to DustyDunn@triad.rr.com or to me at DianeDavisGreensboro@yahoo.com.
Also, if you would like to become a Certified Precinct Official, classes at GTCC are offered for a modest fee. Call GTCC at 334-4822.
August 29th - October 3rd, Tues 9 - noon. GTCC on East Wendover, Greensboro
August 30th - October 4th, Wednsday evenings 6 - 9. GTCC East Wendover, Greensboro
August 31st - October 5th. Thursday evenings 6 - 9. GTCC Campus, High Point
AND DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN TOMORROW MORNING.
Chris McGinn from the Guilford County Board of Elections will be a guest on my little segment of the Dusty Dunn Morning Show tomorrow morning, July 19. Mr. McGinn is the instructor of GTCC classes in how to Become a Certified Precinct Official. So, he should have the answers to all of your questions about voting and election laws.
Tune in to 1070 AM on your radio dial or listen to us on the web at WGOS.net around 8:35 Wednesday morning (THAT'S TOMORROW).
If you want to ask Chris a questions about when, where, registering, and other questions about voting, election laws, or just talk about voting in North Carolina in general, you can call the studio line at (336) 434-5024 during the show.
I have some questions and comments for Chris and I would love to hear from any of you. If you are not comfortable being "on the radio" just leave a comment on my blog and I will relay the message to Chris on the air. Or you can e-mail your questions to DustyDunn@triad.rr.com or to me at DianeDavisGreensboro@yahoo.com.
Also, if you would like to become a Certified Precinct Official, classes at GTCC are offered for a modest fee. Call GTCC at 334-4822.
August 29th - October 3rd, Tues 9 - noon. GTCC on East Wendover, Greensboro
August 30th - October 4th, Wednsday evenings 6 - 9. GTCC East Wendover, Greensboro
August 31st - October 5th. Thursday evenings 6 - 9. GTCC Campus, High Point
AND DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN TOMORROW MORNING.
Take Action Today
Several huge new landfills have been proposed in eastern and central North Carolina. These large dump sites could possibly contaminate groundwater supplies and harm North Carolina's fragile ecosystems. Garbage-related industries have hired many lobbyists to attempt to block the moratorium.
Poor, Rural Counties near the coast are prime targets for garbage-related industries to push for these dump sites. The lure of using the countryside for an immediate income-producing source for the local government is strong. These county officials should consider the future harm that these landfills can do streams, rivers and near watershed areas and land with water sources close to the surface of the land.
In one coastal community there is disagreement between the town council and the county commission. Garbage-related industries are promising that a large landfill will only be used for local garbage and household trash imported from a few states. The truth is that courts have ruled that trash is a commodity. Its interstate import and export cannot be regulated by individual local governments. So, there is really nothing but a vague promise that these huge dumps will not be used to import trash from up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the US.
The Moratorium on New Landfills bill was passed by the NC Senate last week. It is now being considered in the NC House.
You can find the entire contents of the bill at this website:
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2005/Bills/House/HTML/H1093v3.html
According to information contained in the preamble to the bill, ground water is the source of drinking water for approximately half the population of the State and depletion of certain large ground water aquifers in the State has been documented in recent years; and protection and enhancement of water quality in the State's rivers and coastal estuaries is the declared public policy of the State.
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There are enough exceptions written into this bill to satisfy any problems that might arise out of the short moratorium and study.
SECTION 3. Exceptions. – The moratorium established by Section 2 of this act shall not prohibit consideration of an application for or issuance of:
(1) An amendment, modification, or other change to a permit for a landfill issued on or before 1 June 2006.
(2) A permit for a horizontal or vertical expansion of the landfill permitted on or before 1 June 2006.
(3) A permit to construct a new landfill within the facility boundary identified in the facility plan of a landfill permitted on or before 1 June 2006.
(4) A permit to operate a new landfill if a permit to construct the new landfill was issued on or before 1 June 2006.
(5) A permit for a sanitary landfill used only to dispose of waste generated by a coal-fired generating unit that is owned or operated by an investor-owned utility subject to the requirements of G.S. 143-215.107D.
(6) A permit for a sanitary landfill determined to be necessary by the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources in order to respond to an imminent hazard to public health or a natural disaster.
SECTION 4. Study. – The Environmental Review Commission, with the assistance of the Division of Waste Management of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, shall study issues related to solid waste.
You can find contact information for yourrepresentative at:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House
And more information about landfills in North Carolina at the North Carolina Conservation Network website at:
http://ncconservationnetwork1.org/campaign/landfillmoratorium/kbe8874l535ewm?
See other post on this blog about trash disposal and traveling trash and more info about dumps.
Thank you for taking action on this issue.
Thank you for taking action on this issue.
Poor, Rural Counties near the coast are prime targets for garbage-related industries to push for these dump sites. The lure of using the countryside for an immediate income-producing source for the local government is strong. These county officials should consider the future harm that these landfills can do streams, rivers and near watershed areas and land with water sources close to the surface of the land.
In one coastal community there is disagreement between the town council and the county commission. Garbage-related industries are promising that a large landfill will only be used for local garbage and household trash imported from a few states. The truth is that courts have ruled that trash is a commodity. Its interstate import and export cannot be regulated by individual local governments. So, there is really nothing but a vague promise that these huge dumps will not be used to import trash from up and down the Eastern Seaboard of the US.
The Moratorium on New Landfills bill was passed by the NC Senate last week. It is now being considered in the NC House.
You can find the entire contents of the bill at this website:
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2005/Bills/House/HTML/H1093v3.html
According to information contained in the preamble to the bill, ground water is the source of drinking water for approximately half the population of the State and depletion of certain large ground water aquifers in the State has been documented in recent years; and protection and enhancement of water quality in the State's rivers and coastal estuaries is the declared public policy of the State.
---
There are enough exceptions written into this bill to satisfy any problems that might arise out of the short moratorium and study.
SECTION 3. Exceptions. – The moratorium established by Section 2 of this act shall not prohibit consideration of an application for or issuance of:
(1) An amendment, modification, or other change to a permit for a landfill issued on or before 1 June 2006.
(2) A permit for a horizontal or vertical expansion of the landfill permitted on or before 1 June 2006.
(3) A permit to construct a new landfill within the facility boundary identified in the facility plan of a landfill permitted on or before 1 June 2006.
(4) A permit to operate a new landfill if a permit to construct the new landfill was issued on or before 1 June 2006.
(5) A permit for a sanitary landfill used only to dispose of waste generated by a coal-fired generating unit that is owned or operated by an investor-owned utility subject to the requirements of G.S. 143-215.107D.
(6) A permit for a sanitary landfill determined to be necessary by the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources in order to respond to an imminent hazard to public health or a natural disaster.
SECTION 4. Study. – The Environmental Review Commission, with the assistance of the Division of Waste Management of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, shall study issues related to solid waste.
You can find contact information for yourrepresentative at:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House
And more information about landfills in North Carolina at the North Carolina Conservation Network website at:
http://ncconservationnetwork1.org/campaign/landfillmoratorium/kbe8874l535ewm?
See other post on this blog about trash disposal and traveling trash and more info about dumps.
Thank you for taking action on this issue.
Thank you for taking action on this issue.
Bad News from NC Legislator
This is from the e-mail newsletter of Pricey Harrison, one of our Guilford County Representatives in Raleigh.
Environmental Issues
"This session is not looking good for those interested in conservation and environmental protection. The Land for Tomorrow bond initiative to raise money to conserve an additional 740,000 acres in NC appears to be dead for this session. It seems there just wasn’t support with the Senate or the Governor to take on this important effort. Efforts to add additional protection appear to be floundering as well. My bill, HB 2185, to require that new cars meet the higher emissions standard established in eleven other states, and an important component of the State's effort to clean up our air, is running out of time.
"The landfill moratorium seems to be lacking momentum, not a surprise when you see that the "mega dump" operators have hired more than 25 lobbyists to work against the bill.
"Another bill, HB 2192, which I introduced, that would require better and earlier public notice for these mega dumps is also being strongly opposed by these landfill operators and their lobbyists.
"A bill, HB 1778, that would allow polluters to avoid any major liability for contaminating groundwater, with damages capped at $75,000 regardless of the cost of clean up, is moving right along. It is ironic that we are finally making major headway in protecting our private drinking water supplies, yet are letting polluters contaminate the groundwater resources and not adequately compensating the State for the lost resource. Another bill, H2169, Reduce Nutrient Offset Payments, pushed by the development community, cuts the newly adopted fee for developers who degrade buffer areas in the Neuse and Tar-Pam basins from $57 per pound of nitrogen pollution to an inadequate $11 per pound, and will be considered in the House on Monday."
More information on environmental legislation can be accessed through the NC Conservation Network's web site at www.ncconservationnetwork.org.
The House will reconvene on Monday night at 6:00. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO CALL or E-MAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.
Environmental Issues
"This session is not looking good for those interested in conservation and environmental protection. The Land for Tomorrow bond initiative to raise money to conserve an additional 740,000 acres in NC appears to be dead for this session. It seems there just wasn’t support with the Senate or the Governor to take on this important effort. Efforts to add additional protection appear to be floundering as well. My bill, HB 2185, to require that new cars meet the higher emissions standard established in eleven other states, and an important component of the State's effort to clean up our air, is running out of time.
"The landfill moratorium seems to be lacking momentum, not a surprise when you see that the "mega dump" operators have hired more than 25 lobbyists to work against the bill.
"Another bill, HB 2192, which I introduced, that would require better and earlier public notice for these mega dumps is also being strongly opposed by these landfill operators and their lobbyists.
"A bill, HB 1778, that would allow polluters to avoid any major liability for contaminating groundwater, with damages capped at $75,000 regardless of the cost of clean up, is moving right along. It is ironic that we are finally making major headway in protecting our private drinking water supplies, yet are letting polluters contaminate the groundwater resources and not adequately compensating the State for the lost resource. Another bill, H2169, Reduce Nutrient Offset Payments, pushed by the development community, cuts the newly adopted fee for developers who degrade buffer areas in the Neuse and Tar-Pam basins from $57 per pound of nitrogen pollution to an inadequate $11 per pound, and will be considered in the House on Monday."
More information on environmental legislation can be accessed through the NC Conservation Network's web site at www.ncconservationnetwork.org.
The House will reconvene on Monday night at 6:00. IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO CALL or E-MAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.
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