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Senate hearing on new landfill moratorium, incineration study and site‑specific setback rules draws broad testimony
Summary
Two related bills — a proposed moratorium and incineration study (SB 226) and a statutory proposal to require conservative hydraulic conductivity and setback standards (SB 227) — drew lengthy testimony on landfill capacity, PFAS leachate, existing DES rule changes, and tradeoffs between prescriptive setbacks and site‑specific engineering.
Senate Bill 226 would suspend acceptance of new landfill permit applications for a specified moratorium period and establish a committee to study the feasibility of large‑scale solid‑waste incineration and other alternatives. Senator Jonah O’Ryan Wheeler and Senator David Roche (Senate District 1) framed the bill as a pause to modernize siting rules and evaluate incineration and other disposal options.
Senator Roche told the committee the state needs to reassess landfill siting standards, wetlands setbacks and hydrogeologic protections and that the bill provides time for a careful evaluation. “The people of the North Country do not want to see a landfill on their pristine environment,” he said, stressing concerns about groundwater and surface‑water impacts.
Proponents — including municipal representatives and citizen groups such as North Country Alliance for Balanced Change — argued there is enough statewide capacity in existing…
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