Trash

Senate Bill 328, which would repeal many protections against mega-trash dumps in North Carolina, is moving in the NC Senate today. Among other baleful roll-backs, the new bill "would allow landfills 1,500 feet away from National Wildlife Refuges or state parks instead of the current buffer of 2 to 5 miles and would drastically limit the statutory reasons for which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could refuse to issue a permit for one.

"Also, it would relax requirements that owners regularly inspect and clean systems that capture the liquid that comes out of their landfills, called leachate, and would repeal the requirement that operators have a fund of at least $2 million to pay for fines or corrective action in case of contamination." (Source: Laura Leslie at WRAL.)

That would be our cue to remind you of our beloved governor, his proclivity to protect the common good, and the prescient phrase "Superdump of the Southeast." Frank Eaton must have had a crystal ball.