NH Business: Waste bills die in NH legislature while waste disposal need goes up & capacity goes down

BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. THE NEED FOR WASTE DISPOSAL CAPACITY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE LANDFILLS IS GOING UP, AND THE CURRENT CAPACITY FOR DISPOSAL IS GOING DOWN. DESPITE THIS, THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATURE KILLED MOST OF THE BILLS THIS YEAR TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. MY GUEST WILL COMMENT IN A MOMENT. SO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CHART FROM THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES. IT SHOWS THE TRENDS OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. MILLIONS OF TONS FROM IN-STATE SOURCES IN THE MIDDLE AND RIGHT NEXT TO IT, CLOSE TO MILLIONS OF TONS FROM OUT OF STATE SOURCES. ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES. NOW TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CHART AND THE COLUMN PROJECTED DISPOSAL NEED GOING UP. THEN THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN PROJECTED DISPOSAL CAPACITY GOING DOWN. ANOTHER KEY ISSUE WITH ME TO COMMENT ARE TWO MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE WHO CO-SPONSORED BIPARTISAN BILLS TO TACKLE THESE TWO ISSUES. STATE REPRESENTATIVE NICHOLAS GERMANO OF KEENE, DEMOCRAT OF KEENE AND DAVID ROCHEFORT, A REPUBLICAN LEGISLATOR FROM LITTLETON. WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU. NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANKS FOR DRIVING TO THE STUDIO TO DO THIS. UH, LET ME ASK YOU, THE FIVE BIPARTISAN BILLS THAT WOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE THIS YEAR IN THE LEGISLATURE. ONLY ONE PASSED. UH, WHAT HAPPENED? WELL, I THINK THAT THE ISSUE IS THE DIRECTION THAT’S PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNOR. I THINK THAT THE SENATE IS MUCH MORE SENSITIVE TO THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN BILLS THE GOVERNOR IS NOT GOING TO LIKE, AND THAT HE’S NOT GOING TO SIGN, AND THEY’RE NOT WILLING TO PUSH BACK ON THAT. SO I THINK A LOT OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY BELONGS IN THE CORNER OFFICE, DAVID, I THINK THE SENATE IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT OUR BILLS STARTED IN THE HOUSE, TWO OF 1620 AND 1632, THEY PASSED THE HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY ON A BIPARTISAN VOICE VOTE. THEY GET TO THE SENATE, 915 PEOPLE LOGGED IN IN FAVOR OF THOSE BILLS, AND ONLY 15 PEOPLE LOGGED IN IN OPPOSITION. AND YET THE SENATE KILLED THEM. AND THESE BILLS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUT OF STATE TRASH. A YES, ONE OF THEM WAS PUTTING A JUST A JUST A PUMPING THE BRAKES ON ISSUING NEW PERMITS FOR LANDFILLS. AND THE OTHER ONE WAS SETTING LIMITS ON THE AMOUNT OF OUT OF STATE TRASH THAT NEW HAMPSHIRE TAKES. WHAT, GOING FORWARD. BECAUSE YOU’LL ALL BE BACK IN THE NEXT SESSION OF LEGISLATURE, RIGHT? WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF LEGISLATION ON LANDFILLS AND SOLID WASTE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT HAS THE MOST URGENCY? THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN UP NEXT SESSION? I THINK IT’S THE ADDRESSING OUT OF STATE TRASH. ALL THE STATES AROUND US HAVE INCREASED THEIR THEIR STANDARDS FOR FOR TRASH AND INCREASE THE RULES AND MADE IT MORE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS. AND NEW HAMPSHIRE APPEARS TO BE GOING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. AND AS A RESULT, WE’RE TURNING INTO A DUMPING GROUND FOR NEW ENGLAND. NICHOLAS. SAME QUESTION. WELL, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THE MORATORIUM BILL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE WORKED OUT. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LOGISTICS THAT NEED TO BE SORTED OUT. BUT PERIOD OF TIME WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING JUST TO SEE WHERE WE ARE, JUST TO PUMP THE BRAKES BECAUSE WE HAVE A, AN APPLICATION RIGHT NOW FOR A LANDFILL THAT WE DON’T NEED THAT IS GOING TO BE FILLED WITH OUT-OF-STATE TRASH. WE NEED TO PUT A PAUSE ON THAT SO THAT WE CAN GET EVERYTHING ELSE SORTED OUT GOING FORWARD. WHERE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES ON THIS? UH, YES. SO THEY’RE CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, THEY’VE SHOWN UP AT, UH, SOME OF THE HEARINGS AND THEY’RE IN THE PROCESS OF COMING UP WITH NEW RULES. BUT THE RULES SEEM KIND OF TONE DEAF IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STATES AROUND US ARE INCREASING THE RESTRICTIONS OF TRASH AND, DES, YOU KNOW, SOME FOLKS WHO ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE RULEMAKING PROCESS ARE SAYING THE DES IS TAKING GOING THE OTHER DIRECTION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT’S REALLY FRUSTRATING, EVEN ON BILLS WHERE DES TAKES NO OFFICIAL POSITION WHEN THEY TESTIFY, THEY COME IN AND THEY’RE CRITICALS, OR THEY’RE EFFECTIVELY TAKING POSITIONS AGAINST BILLS, EVEN WHEN TECHNICALLY THEY SAY THAT THEY’RE NOT TAKING A POSITION. SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT DIRECTION COMES FROM THE GOVERNOR. NOW WE HAVE MUNICIPAL, STATE REGULATED AND PRIVATE WASTE SITES, AS YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE STATE, INCLUDING BIG ONES LIKE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CASELLA. UH, I DOUBT THEY ALL SING IN THE SAME CHOIR ON THIS ISSUE. DO THEY? WELL, IT’S FRUSTRATING. IT’S DIFFICULT TO KNOW. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY SILENT WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC HEARINGS. CERTAINLY THEY HAVE OPINIONS. THEY HAVE A WISH LIST. BUT THEY’RE NOT MAKING THAT PUBLIC. I THINK THEY’RE GETTING THEIR INPUT IN OTHER WAYS. YEAH, I WOULD AGREE. THERE WAS A HEARING ON THE RULES JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND THERE WAS A WIDESPREAD TURNOUT FROM THE COMMUNITY. BUT THE INDUSTRY DIDN’T SHOW UP. WELL, MY THANKS TO STATE REPRESENTATIVE NICHOLAS GERMANO OF KEENE AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID ROCHFORD OF LITTLETON FOR THIS BRIEFING. THIS BRIEF BRIEFING ON LANDFILLS AND WASTE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AN ISSUE THAT WE’RE GOING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT IN THE NEXT YEAR. YOU CAN GO TO WMUR.COM.