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Heated hearing on solid-waste siting bill pits local towns and environmental groups against industry and state proponents
Summary
Senate Bill 5 36 would create a Site Evaluation Committee for large solid-waste facilities and express a state preference for expanding existing landfills; supporters say it provides transparent, regional review of impacts, while opponents warn it would erase municipal agreements, favor large operators and risk constitutional challenge.
Concord — Testimony at a Senate Energy & Natural Resources hearing on SB 5 36 laid bare a deep split over how New Hampshire should site large solid-waste facilities.
Sen. David Rochefort, prime sponsor, told the committee the bill creates a seven-member site evaluation committee to consider broader community impacts — including noise, odor, traffic and property values — and to establish a state preference for expanding existing, permitted landfill sites or redeveloping brownfields instead of opening greenfield landfills. "The site evaluation committee will consist of seven members from a variety of experiences," Rochefort said, and the bill is intended to provide "a clear, transparent and predictable framework" for decisions affecting local and regional communities.
The Department of Environmental Services recommended approval. Mike…
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