A senate subcommittee has approved a bill that will limit new or expanded landfills for a two-year period. This is ostensibly to allow more study and debate on the highly profitable practice of allowing waste from other states to be buried in South Carolina landfills. (See story at www.thestate.com/local/story/718729.html or search “landfill & moratorium” in S.C. media).

The bill now goes to the full committee which will decide whether to pass the bill on to the Senate. Several prominent Senators from both parties are promoting the bill and have expressed confidence that some version of a moratorium is likely to be passed this year.

The proposal pits those who see out-of-state waste as a continued economic lifeline in a time of financial strain against those who fear that South Carolina is becoming “the nation's pay toilet” and argue that most of the economic benefits are actually going to out-of-state companies.

DHEC has attempted to address concerns against expansion by arguing that under its regulatory control, we now have “highly-regulated, lined landfills designed to trap run-off and prevent impacts to the state’s groundwater resources” (DHEC Statement on The Landfill Moratorium Bill (S. 324); presented to the S.C. Senate Medical Affairs Sub-Committee on March 17, 2009.)

DHEC has set up a website addressing the issue at www.scdhec.net/environment/lwm/html/sw-landfill-ban-proposal.htm

References:

-South Carolina’s primary statute dealing with solid waste disposal is the “South Carolina Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991” (SWPMA), S.C. Code §§ 44-96-10 et seq. (at www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c096.htm )

-Most regulations under the act are in found under Regulation 61-107 (see http://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/six61.htm)