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Senate committee advances bill consolidating state hazardous-waste laws into a single chapter
Summary
Senator Leslie Bjerke and Department of Environmental Quality officials described House Bill 714 as a consolidation of hazardous-waste law into one chapter, replacing an inactive governor-appointed commission with a director-appointed technical panel and preserving public notice and hearings; the committee voted to send the bill to the floor.
Senator Leslie Bjerke said House Bill 714 would repeal chapter 58 of Title 39 and move hazardous-waste provisions into a consolidated Hazardous Waste Management Act so that all applicable law is located in one place. She described the historical context — a 17-member commission created in 1985 that has not met since 2006 — and said the bill preserves regulatory protections while replacing the governor-appointed commission with a director-appointed panel of technical experts who would serve on an as-needed basis.
Roy E. Guerin, a lawyer and lobbyist representing Republic Services (formerly US Ecology Corporation), testified the company and many stakeholders participated in the DEQ review and supported the legislation as a streamlining and clarification effort. Natalie Walker, chief of the Hazardous Waste Bureau at the Department of Environmental Quality, said DEQ held public meetings and a comment period and that the consolidated legislation continues to ensure public input in siting decisions and would require the panel to consider geology, distance to surface water, and other site-specific safety factors. The committee voted to send HB 714 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation.
