Legislative Watch: Garbage Juice Showdown Is Here
Will the General Assembly love the smell of garbage juice in the morning? A vote in the House to decide that question is scheduled for today (Monday, August 28).
The infamous “garbage juice” spray bill is set to be debated in the NC House when it reconvenes today. HB 576 would require the NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to approve aerosolization of wastewater and leachate from landfills. It was approved by the General Assembly in June over vigorous public opposition and against DEQ’s scientific advice. The legislative majority rejected analysis which pointed out that this remains an unproven technology which may not work and which could have adverse environmental impacts.
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the bill. In his veto message, Cooper said, “Scientists, not the legislature, should decide whether a patented technology can safely dispose of contaminated liquids from landfills. With use of the word ‘shall,’ the legislature mandates a technology winner, limiting future advancements that may provide better protection.”
Cooper’s message references the fact that the process mandated by this legislation is a patented technology, the rights to which are owned by a particular individual. That person, Kelly Houston, lives in North Carolina, and his family last year gave $10,000 in campaign contributions to Sen. Trudy Wade (R-Guilford), a member of the current legislative leadership.
Surely this is just a coincidence.
Regardless, legislators may wish to heed growing concerns from the waste management industry itself. One company (Chalah LLC) which had applied for a permit to use the unproven technology told DEQ last week that it planned to withdraw its request. A company spokesman said that it “does not plan to proceed with the field trial of the leachate evaporation system” at this time. “In the future, we may reconsider the use of this technology if it makes economic sense and does not impact neighbors and the environment.”
Another major waste management company, Republic Services, announced the same day that “we have concluded that the technique is not a viable alternative for our liquids management in North Carolina. We have no plans for its future use or application.”
NCLCV’s Dan Crawford explains, “House Bill 576 would let companies use a process called aerosolization to control the liquid run-off from garbage at our landfills (hence the name “Garbage Juice”). But, neither the bill sponsor (Rep. Jimmy Dixon) nor the technology’s chief architect could provide peer-reviewed science proving this process eliminated toxins and other hazardous elements from the waste before it was sprayed back into our air.”
The obvious question then becomes “Why?” In the face of public concern, scientific objections, and even broad industry disinterest, why would the General Assembly mandate approval of a specific patented technology? The apparent answers of either close-minded stubbornness or worse (blatant purchased favoritism comes to mind) cannot be comfortable ones for conscientious legislators.
NCLCV will certainly be scoring this veto override vote. We look to legislators in the House to listen to concerned citizens and responsible industry voices, instead of risking the appearance that they are doing an expensive public favor for the holder of a patent process of dubious value. If you haven’t yet, contact your elected officials today to sustain the Governor’s veto.
