Lawmakers want stronger regulations over permits, licenses

A local state representative may reintroduce a landfill bill.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
Finding Ohio's regulations a little lax on granting permits and licenses for landfills, state lawmakers are hoping a bill from last year will see new life.
Sen. James E. Carnes, R-20th, of St. Clairsville, introduced a bill last year making it more difficult to operate a construction and demolition debris landfill. There are 74 such landfills operating in the state.
Carnes, who was spurred to draft Senate Bill 199 after a C & amp;DD landfill was proposed in Belmont County, wants to give officials from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency more discretion in granting permits and licenses.
State law requires that valid applications for such a site must be approved either by the OEPA or the local health department.
East Coast waste
Carnes said he learned East Coast companies were bringing waste into Ohio and there were no background checks done on them or the facilities accepting the waste. "I thought it was sinful to let this go on and not take any action," he said.
Senate Bill 199 was written to replace the licensing fee process with a disposal-fee structure, meaning companies would be charged per tonnage dumped instead of a flat rate.
The bill also would have revised criteria for where C & amp;DD landfills can be located and would require background checks.
Bill died
Though the bill passed the Senate, it died in the House. Carnes is unsure if he will reintroduce the bill this year; he wants to see if there's enough support in the House.
He could find an ally in state Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood, D-65th, of Niles.
Harwood became interested when Lordstown officials asked for her help in their fight to prevent Lordstown Construction Recovery, a subsidiary of Lafarge North America, from operating a C & amp;DD landfill on Newton Falls-Bailey Road.
The company has a permit from the Trumbull County Department of Health, but has yet to start construction or operations.
Harwood said there's little she can do to help in that situation since Lafarge has met all requirements under current laws.
"I looked at the companies that were coming across two and three states to dump their waste here in Ohio," she said. "Why? Because we're cheap."
By changing from a flat fee to a pro-rated fee based on tonnage, Harwood believes East Coast companies would think twice about using Ohio's landfills.
She knows the downside is that all companies would need to be treated equally, even those based in Ohio, because of interstate commerce laws.
Harwood said she's studied Carnes' legislation, and if he decides not to reintroduce his bill, she's ready to draft her own.
"This is a beautiful state," she said. "I would hate to see it become the dumping ground for other states."
slshaulis@vindy.com