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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.