The House Climate, Energy and Environment Committee voted Tuesday to advance Senate Bill 726A, which directs the Environmental Quality Commission to adopt rules for surface emissions monitoring and mitigation of methane gas from municipal solid waste landfills located in Benton County.

The bill matters because it would require new emissions-monitoring rules at municipal landfills in the specified county and set a short timeframe for follow-up monitoring after any exceedance is detected. Committee staff said the amendment has a minimal fiscal impact and no revenue impact.

"Senate Bill 726A requires the Environmental Quality Commission to establish rules for surface emissions monitoring and mitigation of methane gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills," said Erin, a committee staff member. She said the A-7 amendment "modifies the definition of municipal solid waste landfills to specify that it is located in Benton County" and requires that the owner or operator "monitor *rather than remonitor* the site of any exceedance within 10 days of first detecting the exceedance." Erin added the amendment carries a minimal fiscal impact and no revenue impact.

Vice Chair Grama moved to adopt the A-7 amendment and the motion was adopted without recorded objection. Later, a motion to move SB 726A to the floor "as amended with a due pass recommendation" was made and carried on a roll-call vote. During discussion, Representative Emerson Levy said, "we keep putting regulations on our municipal waste systems and waste systems generally without having a larger plan for the state and how we're going to manage our waste," and stated she would register a committee "courtesy yes" but vote "no on the floor." Representative Bobby Levy expressed the same position, saying he would give a "courtesy yes" in committee but a "no on the floor."

Roll-call remarks recorded in the transcript show several representatives voting yes during the final motion (Representative Anderson: "courtesy yes"; Representative Edwards: "yes"; Representative Helm: "aye"; Representative Emerson Levy: "courtesy yes"; Representative Mark: "yes"). Representative Osborne was recorded as "no." Representative Waller was recorded as excused. The transcript does not provide a fully unambiguous, itemized tally for every named member; the committee chair announced, "Aye. Motion carries."

Committee discussion focused on two substantive points recorded in the session: the geographic scope of the amended bill (limited to Benton County) and the operational requirement that a landfill owner or operator must conduct monitoring within 10 days after first detecting an exceedance rather than waiting to "remonitor." No broader statewide waste-management plan or additional funding sources were established in the hearing.

Chair Terry Lively closed the work session and asked who would carry the bill to the floor; Representative Anderson volunteered. The transcript records that other work sessions on several bills were carried to Thursday, May 22, but SB 726A was the single item the committee worked at this session and was advanced to the full chamber as amended.