Lawmakers at the state level have become more involved in landfill siting and permitting issues this year. Legislation in Oregon, sent to the governor this week, could change how Republic Services measures methane at a landfill in the state. Bills further regulating landfills in Hawai’i and Ohio are also awaiting their respective governors’ signatures. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, landfill siting restrictions are included in the latest version of the state’s budget bill.
Here’s a look at recent landfill news from around the U.S.
Oregon bill requiring Republic to monitor methane heads to governor’s desk
The Oregon legislature passed a bill requiring Republic Services, owner of the Coffin Butte Landfill in Corvallis, to use advanced methane monitoring technology. The bill comes after the facility has faced scrutiny from federal regulators and independent groups over its emissions.
If the bill becomes law, SB 726 would require the operator of the landfill in Benton County to use “satellite monitoring, airflight monitoring, drones or remote direct monitoring technology that yields emission rates and the location of a methane emissions point source” beginning Jan. 1, 2027. As operator, Republic would be required to track any emissions exceedances and resolve them, keeping all surface emissions monitoring records for at least five years.
The bill originally applied to all landfills in the state, but was later narrowed to apply solely to Coffin Butte, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
The landfill became a center of contention amid a recent failed expansion attempt — Republic Services started a second process to expand the facility last year. It accepts MSW from more than two dozen counties, and took on added importance after the closure of a Reworld waste-to-energy facility in Marion County.
New Hampshire’s proposed budget bill could establish new landfill siting rules
Several proposed provisions in New Hampshire’s state budget aim to restrict landfill siting rules and would give the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services “comprehensive exclusive authority” to approve any new landfill capacity.
The draft budget passed by the state Senate would establish a state “preference” for siting new landfill capacity on land next to existing landfills instead of starting greenfield projects.
The budget bill provisions also call for a one-year moratorium on approving any new landfill projects, though applications for “a landfill expansion or a remedial landfill expansion” could still be considered.
If passed, the state would also create a site evaluation committee meant to look over solid waste facility proposals and consider “criteria that are not captured by existing regulatory reviews, including local and in-state regional economic impacts, property value impacts, and impacts on tourism and recreation,” according to the bill.
The provisions have been endorsed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who first announced plans to include a landfill moratorium in the state budget back in February, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin. Ayotte has spoken out against landfill projects in the state, including against plans for Casella Waste Systems to build its proposed Dalton Landfill project. Casella in April sued DES after the regulator denied the landfill operator’s permit application, saying it was incomplete.
Some residents who oppose the Dalton landfill support the governor’s position, but some lawmakers expressed concerns that using the budget bill to shift landfill permitting authority solely to the state would override local or municipal input, InDepth NH reported.
Budget negotiations between the state House and Senate are still ongoing as of Friday, and the deadline to pass the budget is June 26, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
Other state bill news
- A bill in Hawai’i meant to ban new landfills on O’ahu from being sited on agricultural land or above a drinking water source is awaiting the governor’s signature. If signed, officials in Honolulu say they will likely extend operations at Waimanalo Gulch landfill, which was ordered to close by 2028, because the site they chose for a new landfill would not fit the parameters of the new law. (Hawai’i Public Radio)
- A bill in Ohio that would allow local health districts to set C&D waste tipping fees has been sent to the governor for signature. It was introduced by Sen. Bill Reineke, whose district includes Win Waste Innovations’ Fostoria landfill. Win Waste opposes the bill, saying C&D disposal fees are already higher than those in surrounding states.
Permitting, expansion and lawsuit news
- Ames, Iowa, will continue to send its waste to the Boone County Landfill while planning to build another facility meant to handle 50,000 to 75,000 tons of solid waste a year. The county agreed to extend Ames' contract for two more years. (Ames Tribune)
- Meridian Waste aims to expand the Shotwell C&D landfill in Wake County, North Carolina. The expansion would add about 11 acres of disposal space within the existing property, a move meant to accommodate C&D waste from the region’s construction boom. (WRAL News)
- More than 5,000 residents in the region of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, are expected to receive payouts from a $4.5 million landfill settlement over odor issues reported between 2017 and 2019 at Waste Connections’ Jefferson Parish Landfill. (NOLA.com)
