Landfill legislation goes down to wire in House, Senate
Thursday, November 17, 2005
By Paul E. Kostyu - Columbus Bureau Chief
COLUMBUS - After a setback this week, lawmakers now face a tight deadline to pass legislation that will regulate construction and demolition debris landfills.
Democrats in the Ohio Senate balked Tuesday at approving the extension of a moratorium on new and expanded landfills past Jan. 1, when the current moratorium expires, because of a conflict over who should be covered. All Senate Democrats voted against the extension as an emergency measure, which effectively killed it because Republicans could not muster enough of a majority to pass it without Democratic help.
That means the moratorium will expire before the extension goes into effect in February or March, depending on when Gov. Bob Taft signs the bill to which the moratorium was attached.
In the meantime, the House held a third committee hearing on House Bill 397, sponsored by state Rep. John Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, which would tighten regulation of construction and demolition debris landfills.
Committee Chairman Thomas Collier, R-Mount Vernon, initially said Wednesday that he didn’t think there was time to get the bill ready as the Legislature approaches the end of the year. He said he had been assured by House leadership that a moratorium extension would be attached to another bill to give his committee more time.
But Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland, wants Hagan’s bill approved by the end of the year and intends to have the Senate in session for the first two weeks of December to help get it done. Harris said there would be no need for a moratorium extension with the new regulations in place.
“My hope is that they can move very rapidly,” he said Wednesday. “We will have the votes to pass it with an emergency clause.”
An emergency clause means a bill becomes law right after the governor signs it. Without an emergency clause, legislation waits 90 days after the governor’s signature before it is effective.
“That’s great,” Collier said of Harris’ comments. “We will work to get it done.”
The bill has been through five versions so far, and five Girard residents testified Wednesday that more changes are needed to further protect neighbors of landfills.
“Why make it easy for them to unload their debris,” Richard Natoli said.
Kurt Latell said the bill needs to require dumps to be placed farther away from rivers and property lines. He also wants dumps to be set back from public accommodations instead of occupied dwellings. He said the former would cover more facilities, including places such as miniature golf courses. He also said the seven dumps with license applications under way should be covered by the new regulations.
Hagan’s original bill did not allow current applications to bypass the new regulations.
“I’m asking you to protect your constituents,” Latell said.
Reach Copley Columbus Bureau Chief Paul E. Kostyu at (614) 222-8901.
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