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Senate approves compromise hazardous‑waste fee bill after lengthy floor debate
Summary
After extended floor debate over fiscal impacts and competitiveness with neighboring states, the Utah Senate passed SB 96 revising hazardous‑waste disposal fees. Sponsor Sen. Richard Reese said the measure is a 'middle‑ground' compromise; opponents pressed for clearer fiscal accounting and comparisons of in‑state vs. out‑of‑state tonnage.
The Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 96 on a 23‑to‑4 vote after a day of procedural pauses and sustained floor debate over the bill's fiscal assumptions and competitive effects.
Sponsor Richard Reese, who introduced the fee changes as a compromise, said the bill raises the in‑state portion of the fee to what the sponsor described as a midrange level intended to both fund environmental monitoring and avoid discouraging local industry. "We are not becoming the dumping ground of the West," Reese said during the floor debate, arguing the bill would discourage out‑of‑state waste while preserving in‑state industry.
Opponents repeatedly challenged the…
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