Committee hears bill to require independent harms‑and‑benefits appraisal for landfill permits

A bill that would require landfill permit applicants to hire independent third parties to analyze potential harms and benefits of proposed solid‑waste facilities drew a lengthy hearing before the Environment & Agriculture Committee.

Representative Nick Germanna, sponsor of HB 215, said the measure would add a ‘‘net public benefit’’ test to New Hampshire’s existing permit standard: an applicant must demonstrate that the benefits of a proposed facility outweigh its harms. The bill also would bar applicants from linking benefits at one site to a project at another site, and it would narrowly define ‘‘capacity need’’ by requiring a projected capacity shortfall in the state for at least half of the permitted life of a facility.

Representative Germanna said the bill borrows from established practices — the federal National Environmental Policy Act and some state siting statutes — that require accounting for social, economic and environmental impacts. He argued applicants already have the resources to commission studies and that requiring an independent assessment, paid…