PRINTER'S NO. 2504
No. 188 Session of 1990
INTRODUCED BY MELLOW, MUSTO, FISHER AND LEMMOND,
SEPTEMBER 25, 1990
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, SEPTEMBER 25, 1990
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing Congress to pass legislation which gives
2 individual states greater flexibility in developing programs
3 to protect their municipal waste disposal capacity and the
4 public's health and safety from the importation of municipal
5 waste generated in other states.
6 WHEREAS, The capacity of disposal facilities located within
7 this Commonwealth is significantly reduced by the importation of
8 municipal waste generated in other states; and
9 WHEREAS, The reduction in capacity attributed to the
10 importation of municipal waste from other states has the
11 potential to limit available capacity to, and raise disposal
12 costs for, municipal waste generated within this Commonwealth;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth must bear the costs associated with
15 assuring the safe transportation and disposal of significant
16 volumes of municipal waste generated by other states but
17 disposed in facilities located within this Commonwealth; and
18 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has undertaken a comprehensive
19 planning and recycling program designed to provide adequate
1 disposal capacity for municipal waste generated within this
2 Commonwealth; and
3 WHEREAS, Increased importation of municipal waste generated
4 in other states threatens to complicate the Commonwealth's long-
5 term waste planning process, congest Commonwealth highways and
6 endanger our citizenry by its transportation; and
7 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth's available landfill capacity is an
8 important factor in its ability to encourage and sustain
9 economic development; and
10 WHEREAS, Federal legislation is pending which would enhance
11 the ability of individual states that have taken action to plan
12 for their own disposal capacity to more effectively regulate
13 municipal waste shipments from other states; and
14 WHEREAS, Under the pending legislation, these states would be
15 able to limit the importation of municipal waste generated in
16 other states and impose differential fees on municipal waste
17 generated in other states; and
18 WHEREAS, The fees charged could differentiate between
19 municipal waste imported and municipal waste generated by that
20 state and also between municipal waste generated by different
21 states; and
22 WHEREAS, The National Governors' Association recently
23 recommended Congressional action to permit states to establish
24 differential fees on waste imports to encourage states to
25 develop their own capacity; therefore be it
26 RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania support
27 Congressional action that will allow the Commonwealth to more
28 efficiently and effectively regulate the treatment and disposal
29 within this Commonwealth of municipal waste generated in another
30 state; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That this authority should include the ability to
2 impose limits and collect differential fees on municipal waste
3 generated in another state and treated or disposed within this
4 Commonwealth; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
6 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
7 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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