PRINTER'S NO. 2493
No. 1935 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, HASAY, JAROLIN, LUCYK, BELARDI, BOWLEY,
LaGROTTA, FREEMAN, LEVDANSKY, WOZNIAK, YANDRISEVITS,
CAPPABIANCA, FEE, WAMBACH, DOMBROWSKI, SALOOM, McCALL,
LAUGHLIN, S. H. SMITH, CAWLEY, SERAFINI, VEON, LLOYD,
JOHNSON, MORRIS, MRKONIC, COLAIZZO, FLEAGLE, COY, CHADWICK,
PESCI, MELIO, VAN HORNE, REBER AND FAIRCHILD, OCTOBER 3, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION, OCTOBER 3, 1989
AN ACT
1 Prohibiting sewage sludge from sources outside this
2 Commonwealth.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Declaration of policy.
6 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
7 (1) This act is enacted under the authority of Amendment
8 X of the Constitution of the United States of America, under
9 which the police power to protect the health, safety and
10 welfare of the citizens is reserved to the states.
11 (2) The Commonwealth is responsible for the protection
12 of the health, safety and welfare of its citizens concerning
13 the management of sewage sludge.
14 (3) All aspects of sewage sludge management,
15 particularly the disposition of sewage sludge, pose a
16 critical threat to the health, safety and welfare of the
1 citizens of this Commonwealth.
2 (4) Uncontrolled increases in the volume of sewage
3 sludge received at municipal landfills have significantly
4 decreased their remaining lifetimes, disrupting the planning
5 process and the ability of municipalities relying on the
6 landfills to continue using them. These increases have
7 threatened to significantly and adversely affect public
8 health and safety when municipalities find they can no longer
9 use facilities. Uncontrolled increases in daily volumes also
10 cause increased noise, odors, truck traffic and other
11 significant adverse effects on the environment, as well as
12 the public health and safety.
13 (5) It is appropriate to provide those living in
14 Pennsylvania with guarantees that they will have the first
15 choice in disposing of their sewage sludge.
16 (6) The landfill capacity in Pennsylvania is a natural
17 resource subject to conservation by the laws and regulations
18 of this Commonwealth.
19 (7) The limited capacity of the landfills in
20 Pennsylvania must be protected from solid waste districts,
21 regional authorities, State planning bodies and
22 municipalities that are not directly subject to the planning
23 processes in place in Pennsylvania. The capacity in
24 Pennsylvania should not suffer from a lack of planning by
25 State governments, regional authorities, solid waste
26 districts and municipalities subject to the 1991 ban on the
27 ocean dumping of sludge.
28 Section 2. Prohibition.
29 On or after January 1, 1991, the Department of Environmental
30 Resources shall not issue a permit which allows sewage sludge
19890H1935B2493 - 2 -
1 from any sources not within this Commonwealth to be placed in
2 landfills in this Commonwealth.
3 Section 3. Effective date.
4 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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