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GA HB1062

Bill

Status

Introduced

2/27/2020

Primary Sponsor

Steven Meeks

Click for details

Origin

House of Representatives

2019-2020 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Prohibits issuing permits or permit modifications for any municipal solid waste disposal facility or coal combustion residual (CCR) landfill within three miles of the high-water mark of a blackwater river that is wholly contained within Georgia, originates on the coastal plain south of the Altamaha River Basin, and flows directly into the ocean
  • Defines "blackwater river" as a river with dark coloration due to high levels of dissolved carbon compounds from decaying organic matter in surrounding marshes and swamps, characterized by low pH and low dissolved oxygen levels
  • Designates qualifying blackwater rivers as "vital areas" of the State of Georgia to justify the protective buffer zone
  • Exempts any municipal solid waste disposal facility that held a valid permit and was operating during or prior to 2019 from the new siting restriction
  • Adds a new definition for "coal combustion residuals" (CCR) — including fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, and flue gas desulfurization materials from coal-burning electric utilities — and renumbers existing definitions in the Georgia Solid Waste Management Act, with conforming cross-reference updates to criminal trespass and county sales tax code sections

Legislative Description

Solid waste management; location of any municipal solid waste disposal facility within a certain distance of a blackwater river; prohibit

Last Action

House Second Readers

3/2/2020

Full Bill Text

No bill text available