November 09, 2004
Senate Natural Resource Committee Hears Testimony on Trash and Electronic Waste
The Senate Natural Resources Committee held an Interim Hearing today. The Committee invited Wade Wheatley the head of the Waste Permits Section to speak about the rule-making activities on trash facilities. At approximately 11:45 am or so he gave a short synopsis of what is happening with the Site Operating Plan (SOP) rule-making (which is going before the TCEQ Commissioners tomorrow Wed. Nov. 10), the broader Chapter 330 Rule-making (which the hearings in May and June were about) and for the first time a new "rule concept" that sounds very dangerous. The new rule making is going to allow for expansions without a major amendment is which the entire permit is open for review. Wade Wheatley said they were looking to the rules regarding industrial and hazardous waste facilities as models. We will probably want to oppose this. Wade Wheatley said this might start next Summer.
Wade Wheatley was grilled on a number of issues, especially on the value of having daily Waste Acceptance Rates in permits that are not enforced. He was also closely questioned on the TCEQ's handling of the Penske/Zenith electronic waste illegally dumped in the Texas Disposal Systems landfill. The Senators were very perturbed with how the TCEQ has midhandled that situation.
At 1:15 pm or so, during the public comment period, Robin Schneider of Texas Campaign for the Environment raised concerns about the Proposed SOP Rules not going far enough to protect the property rights and quality of life for neighbors of landfills. She also spoke about electronic waste. A short while after me, Mary Sahs, an attorney representing a landowner near the Waste Management landfill (soon-to-be transfer station) in Tarrant County on the Parker County border, also spoke about the SOPs, the problem of borrow pits outside of the permit boundaries of trash facilities, traffic issues etc. Bob Gregory, of Texas Disposal Systems, spoke last about the situation at his landfill and the broader problems of allowing municipal solid waste facilities to become hazardous waste dumping grounds and the broader problem of electronic waste in the wastestream.
Here's the link if you want to listen in:
Click here
and then click on November 9, 2004
Posted by robin at 04:04 PM