On Wednesday, senators passed an amended version of House Bill 707, legislation retained from last session that proposes a new process for landfill site evaluation. Under the bill, landfill proposals would be considered by a seven-member committee evaluating a set list of criteria. HB 707 also calls for state regulatory and policy interests to take precedence over 鈥渓ocal regulations and restrictions鈥� in the landfill siting process, citing 鈥渁 compelling state interest in maintaining adequate, reasonably priced disposal capacity for solid waste generated in New Hampshire.鈥�
Those provisions are contained in a replace-all amendment authored by Sen. Howard Pearl, a Loudon Republican; with Pearl鈥檚 amendment, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recommended the bill, 5-0, in October.
At the time, some representatives who had sponsored the House bill reacted negatively to the Senate鈥檚 amendment, including prime sponsor Rep. Kelley Potenza, a Rochester Republican. As approved by the House, earlier versions of the bill also sought to reform the landfill siting process. But Potenza said in October the criteria in the Senate amendment were not stringent enough. The amendment sacrificed local control, she said, while giving concessions to the waste industry.