13-R419
2013 -- S 0602 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/17/13
J O I N T R E S
O L U T I O N
CREATING A
SPECIAL SELECT COMMISSION TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN
Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Walaska, Nesselbush, and Bates
Date Introduced: March 06, 2013
WHEREAS, It is vital to the public interest to properly manage solid
waste generated
within the territorial borders of the State of
welfare of the inhabitants of the state and to protect and
preserve a healthy and natural
environment; and
WHEREAS, The Rhode
Island Resource Recovery Corporation is charged with the
proper management of the state’s solid waste through
necessary, cost efficient, and
environmentally sound systems, facilities, technology, and services
for solid waste management
and resource recovery; and
WHEREAS, The Rhode
Island Resource Recovery Corporation enjoys a special
relationship with the state’s thirty-nine municipalities in that
the central landfill is a public
resource of limited and finite capacity which the state, as
guardian and trustee for its people, has
the right and the obligation to preserve for the use of
its people; and
WHEREAS, Providing long range price stability and predictability for
municipal solid
waste disposal and recycling should continue to be a
primary goal; and
WHEREAS, The state, by creating the Rhode Island Resource Recovery
Corporation and
through it operating the central landfill and materials
recycling facility, is a participant in the
landfill services market and has entered that market for the
purpose of serving citizens, residents,
and municipalities of this state; and
WHEREAS, The Rhode
Island Resource Recovery Corporation, through proper
organizational restructuring, fiscally sound reduction of operating
costs, increased educational
and outreach activity, and sound management practices has
added ten years of life to the central
landfill, providing capacity through 2034; and
WHEREAS, Recent changes
in the law, improvements and innovations in processing
technology, global economic influences, and development of local
opportunities to grow the
green economy in the state, necessitate a re-examination of
the future of solid waste management
in
WHEREAS, The task of creating a blueprint for the future of solid
waste management in
the state beyond 2034 requires an historic effort and
unprecedented cooperation among diverse
interest groups; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That the “Select Commission to Determine the Future of Solid Waste
Management in
members: the Director of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation,
or designee; the
Director of the Department
of Environmental Management, or designee; the Director of the
Department of
Administration, or designee; the Director of the League of Cities and Towns, or
designee; the Director of Statewide Planning, or designee; the
Director of the
Economic Development
Corporation, or designee; President of the Greater Providence Chamber
of Commerce, or designee; President of the Environment
Council of Rhode Island, or designee; a
designee of the solid waste industry to be appointed by the
Senate President and the Speaker of
the House; and two (2) public members from the Town of
appointed by the Senate President and one of whom shall be
appointed by the Speaker of the
House.
The
purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study of all
technical,
environmental, policy, and financial issues concerning the future
of solid waste management in
the state of
other relevant issues:
a.
The state’s proper role in solid waste management.
b.
The mix of private and public finance, operation, and ownership of solid waste
facilities which is most appropriate.
c.
The steps necessary to maximize source reduction, reuse, and recycling of solid
waste.
d.
The appropriate methods to ensure that affordable, safe, and environmentally
protective solid waste disposal is available for the remaining
waste.
e.
The appropriate funding mechanism for these facilities and activities.
f.
Policies which enable a system of solid waste management to remain viable and
consistent for the ongoing benefit of the citizens of
The
commission shall submit to the General Assembly a report that evaluates and
recommends solid waste disposal option(s) and sets forth an
action plan that establishes the
timeline necessary to implementing an economically sound
disposal option to manage the state’s
solid waste once the central landfill’s capacity is fully
exhausted.
Forthwith
upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at
the call of the Senate President and the Speaker of the
House, and organize and shall select a
chairperson from among the group. The chairperson shall not be
the Director of Rhode Island
Resource Recovery
Corporation. The commission shall meet regularly, and vacancies in said
commission shall be filled in like manner as the original
appointment.
The
membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.
All
departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and
information,
documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as
is deemed necessary or
desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this
resolution; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the commission shall report its findings and
recommendations to the
General Assembly no later
than December 31, 2014, and said commission shall expire on June
30, 2015.
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LC01948/SUB A
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EXPLANATION
BY
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
J
O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING
A SPECIAL SELECT COMMISSION TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF
SOLID
WASTE MANAGEMENT IN
***
This
resolution would create an eleven (11) member special select commission whose
purpose it would be to make a comprehensive study of all
technical, environmental, policy, and
financial issues concerning the future of solid waste
management in the State of
and who would report back to the General Assembly no
later than December 31, 2014, and whose
life would expire on June 30, 2015.
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LC01948/SUB A
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