Republican State Senator Chapin Rose says after the battle to keep PCB waste out of the Clinton Landfill, it’s surprising more isn’t done to block manufactured gas plant waste as well. The Clinton Landfill agreed to stop accepting manufactured gas plant waste, as part of its agreement to give up efforts to stop PCB's. Now, a bill to essentially bar MGP waste at other Illinois landfills is set for a Senate committee hearing this week.
Rose is a co-sponsor of the bill, which requires a toxicity test that would bar MGP's from landfills not equipped for hazardous materials. The Senator says keeping MGP waste out of the Clinton landfill isn't enough to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, because other landfills sit over it as well.
“We just want to take the extra step here of ensuring that we’re not going to allow MGP waste into these landfills – wherever they’re located – on whatever landfill – without having some kind of scientific standard – to make sure that what’s coming in is not toxic.”
Rose says the measure would keep landfill owners from using court challenges or other means as a way to work around restrictions on MGP waste. The measure has the backing of several lawmakers from both parties whose districts include parts of the Mahomet Aquifer. It passed the Illinois House last month, and now goes before the Environment and Conservation Committee in the Senate.