This Bill is Trash Literally: Please Take Action Today

We are sharing this alert from WV Environmental Council, because we really hope you will take action right now. 

Today, Monday February 17, the WV House of Delegates has its second reading on HB 4690, a bill relating to solid waste authorities, The final vote is Tuesday morning. This bill quickly went through House Judiciary last week, with one civil engineer testifying in favor of the bill. The Solid Waste Authorities oppose this bill and so do we!

HB 4690 is aimed at helping one specific company to use the former Fola mine site in Clay and Nicholas counties as a mega-dump landfill. Get this: 80% of the waste will be brought in by rail from the New Jersey. Why should we trash West Virginia hills with waste from the Northeast?

Maybe they think it would be a great way to cash in on solid waste tipping fees. Wait a minute – IN THIS BILL, THEY ARE EXEMPT FROM THOSE FEES! AND, FROM REGULATION UNDER THE PSC OR THROUGH COUNTY REFERENDUM. The people who will have to live with this smelly heap, and diminished air and water quality, won’t even be able to say: WE DON’T WANT IT!

The private engineer who is part of this project and testified in committee says that the company will be able to take over the water treatment issues from the State, thereby saving them money.

Why is this bill good for the people of West Virginia? It isn’t!

Read more here about a very similar situation in Kentucky….it stinks.

Please reach out to your Delegates and tell them to OPPOSE HB 4690.