Campaign Watch: Opposition Legislators Propose Alternative GenX Bill
An alternative approach to the GenX crisis was put forward last week by leaders from the legislature’s minority party.
Pushed to the side in last year’s debates by their minority status in both chambers of the General Assembly, House Democrats filed legislation presumably reflecting the environmental priorities if their party regains control in this fall’s elections.
HB 968, “Legislative Response to Emerging Contaminants,” would appropriate more than $14 million to the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for equipment, staff, and training needed to monitor pollutant emissions and contamination, and enforce legal controls on this toxic pollution. The legislation would also strengthen the authority of DEQ to adopt stronger pollution controls by repealing the “Hardison Amendment,” a restriction adopted under the current legislative majority in 2011. This restriction prohibits state environmental agencies (including DEQ) from adopting standards stricter than those minimums established by the federal government.
