WASHINGTON, DC- The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill sponsored by Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-Tiffin) to empower states with the ability to place limits on international waste. Gillmor’s bill, H.R. 2491, unanimously passed the House after having previously sailed through House Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“While the issue of international waste is not specific to any one nation, nearly half of the trash entering Michigan’s landfills everyday comes from Canada. There is a domino effect of filling Michigan’s landfills which has crippling results on the surrounding states and required federal action,” Gillmor said. Rep. Gillmor noted that Canada ships nearly 4 million tons of trash into the United States each year, mostly into Michigan. Other states such as New York and Washington also receive some international waste. “This bill sends a message to the world that the U.S. is not going to be their wastebasket.”
“I was very pleased to see my bill pass the House with such strong bipartisan support today. The vote was encouraging but not surprising because this is a commonsense issue in Congress. The process of planning, developing and maintaining landfills is often contentious and expensive. And our communities should not be forced to sit back and watch as their resources are overwhelmed with trash from outside the United States,” Gillmor said. “I have long held that states should be able to say how much and what type of trash is accepted in the landfills they paid for and permitted. This is an issue which affects national security, public health, and environmental quality and our states and communities deserve the right to protect themselves.”
In the past, once a state began accepting waste shipments, it was nearly impossible to restrict the amount or type of trash which was transported to its landfills. Under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution it takes legislation by Congress to restrict international waste shipments. Congressman Gillmor noted that his legislation does not totally ban waste shipment or stop communities from accepting waste if they choose. Rather, his bill gives control over these decisions to our states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under Gillmor’s bill, states have time to develop limitations on municipal solid waste which has been produced internationally until the Administrator of the EPA finalizes standards for waste shipments between the United States and Canada.
Under Gillmor's bill, when setting standards for waste shipments, the EPA Administrator must consider 1) the views of the recipient state; 2) the impact of the shipment as it relates to the support of the community for recycling programs as well as landfill capacity, air emissions and road deterioration; and 3) the impact of foreign waste importation on homeland security, public health and the environment.
The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act awaits debate and passage in the U.S. Senate before it can be forwarded to the President for his signature into law.
