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2004
Legislative Update
Several
items now pending before the 2004 General Assembly could
impact the solid waste industry.
At
press time, last session’s much-debated waste surcharge
had not been recommended to the governor by the Natural
Resources Funding Commission as a possible funding mechanism
for conservation easements and water quality improvement
projects. The commission was unable to reach a consensus
on the funding alternative that could have added up to $3
per ton on all municipal solid waste disposed in Virginia,
according to Ray McGowan, sales and marketing director,
Joyce Engineering Inc.
A measure
that would add only a nine-cent per ton surcharge has received
broad support, McGowan said. Paid as an annual fee, the
surcharge is a possible solution to more adequately fund
air, water, solid waste and hazardous waste regulatory programs
within the Department of Environmental Quality. Melissa
Porterfield of DEQ’s permitting office explained that
the fee is just one of several funding strategies included
in the Secretary of Natural Resources’ report to the
Senate Finance Committee. (Refer to SB 365.)
Much
to the dismay of litter program managers, the $1.6 million
collected through the litter tax and distributed to localities
for community litter and recycling efforts has been cut
from the state’s budget. Beer, wine and soft drink
wholesalers and retailers who pay the tax in lieu of a container
deposit, members of the Virginia Council for Litter Prevention
and Recycling and the Virginia Recycling Association will
ask legislators to restore funding.
Earlier
this year during agency and commission consolidations and
eliminations, the Virginia Recycling Markets Development
Council was spared in favor of a redefined, focused group
that is less reliant on DEQ staff support, but still available
in order to provide expertise to the General Assembly, governor
and others. (Refer to SB 12.)
Although
the session is just getting underway, measures addressing
the following have also been filed:
- Require
all cargo areas of trucks to be covered whether loaded
or not. (Refer to HB 55.)
- Authorize
the Virginia Waste Management Board to establish a $7.50
fee on each ton of nonhazardous solid waste transported
by barge or other vessel on Virginia’s waters. (Refer
to HB 728.)
-
Prohibit landfill sitings within a one-half mile radius
of any residentially zoned area. (Refer to HB 1168.)
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