At the start of the legislative session, lawmakers and advocates were hopeful that this would finally be the year New Hampshire hit pause on new landfill approvals, especially with vocal support from Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
The House proposed a three-year moratorium and the Senate’s version started with six. Their final legislation aligned with Ayotte’s plan for a one-year moratorium on new landfills, but it didn’t make it to the finish line.
State Rep. Nick Germana, a Keene Democrat, said that although Ayotte had campaigned on a moratorium, calling it a high priority, she didn’t do much in the end to bring the House and Senate together to pass a bill.
“If this had been the priority — she made it seem like it was — then she really had the opportunity to bring us together to get something done, and that’s how it fell apart,” said Germana. “It’s a real shame. It’s disheartening when you see an unravel in the end like that.”
Not all lawmakers who have been strong advocates for a landfill moratorium in New Hampshire believe that Ayotte fell short of her commitment.
Sen. David Rochefort, a Littleton Republican, said it was up to the House and Senate to work out their differences.
“To say that she somehow went back on her word is disingenuous,” said Rochefort. “She’s done more in her short time in office than any governor, Republican or Democrat, in recent history on this.”
The same failed bill, House Bill 171, would have created a site evaluation committee for future landfills.
Conversations about implementing a landfill moratorium or regulating solid waste in New Hampshire gained momentum in 2019, when Casella Waste Systems proposed building a controversial landfill near Forest Lake in Dalton.
Lawmakers have introduced several landfill-related bills in every legislative session since then.
House Bill 566 is one such bill. Signed into law this year, it mandates landfill operators to submit comprehensive plans for managing leachate—the “toxic juice” produced by landfills.
The law requires permits for new landfills and expansions that detail how this toxic liquid will be treated on-site or transported to off-site treatment facilities.
“I think it’s a really important first step, recognizing that leachate management is an increasingly serious problem and the state needs to be a lot more active in terms of managing the situation,” said Germana. “Considering how hard it has been to get any landfill legislation passed, it feels like a victory.”
House Bill 451House Bill 451, which proposed a paint recycling program to simplify disposal for New Hampshire residents and keep old paint out of landfills, failed to pass despite support from business and environmental groups.
State Rep. Karen Ebel, the bill’s primary sponsor, said that while she was disappointed the bill did not pass, she will continue working to bring the program to New Hampshire.
“We’re trying to take care of misunderstandings so that we can put this really important money-saving bill forward,” said Ebel. “ I’m hopeful that with the almost universal appeal of the program, we will be able to deal with that.”
Although this legislative session didn’t represent a significant change in solid waste and landfill legislation, lawmakers and advocates said they felt encouraged by witnessing how the conversation has evolved over the years.
They said more Granite Staters — even those living miles away from landfills — are becoming concerned about the issue.
“We are moving, albeit very, very slow, towards some type of meaningful legislation,” said Rochefort. “I’m cautiously optimistic. People who have been traditionally on the other side of this issue are coming around to see that this is an issue that not only is important for the North Country but also increasingly important for the rest of the state.”
New Hampshire imports nearly half of the waste dumped in its landfills, with most of it coming from Massachusetts.
Despite setbacks, environmental advocates said it’s remains crucial to keep pushing for a pause on new landfill permits because the environmental impact of a new landfill would be significant.
“We’re starting to do some things, but we’ve got to do more,” said Wayne Morrison, president of the North Country Alliance for Balanced Change, which has been actively opposing Casella’s proposal for another landfill in the North Country. “The state knows that the worst use of land is to site another landfill. It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s dangerous and it’s unneeded.”
Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com
