Lawmakers in the state senate have passed a measure that scales back restrictions on landfills.
Senate Bill 328 would reduce buffers between wildlife refuges, state parks, and game lands. Garbage trucks transporting material to landfills would no longer have to be leak-proof, but only leak-resistant.
Republican Senator Harry Brown successfully sponsored an amendment that would give the military a way to object to proposed landfills that could interfere with training or operations near military bases.
"What the amendment does is to make sure that the landfills wouldn't have a significant adverse impact on the mission, training, or operations, of any military installation or branch of the military. And it also specifies the time period in which they would have to come up with a reason to argue against the permit," said Brown.
Some Democrats argued that the bill doesn't provide enough environmental protections for low-income residents who might be more likely to live near landfills. The measure now goes to the House for consideration.
