June 7, 2005

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signaled her support for federal legislation (H.R. 2491) in the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide states with a limited opportunity to enact state laws or regulations to better manage the disposal of foreign trash. 

Called the “Interstate Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2005,” the plan gives state and local authorities more power to stop the escalating menace of Canadian trash while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) develops a mandated plan to implement and enforce an existing bilateral waste management agreement with Canada.

“Every day more and more trash flows into Michigan, damaging our roads, gobbling up our open space, and putting Michigan citizens at increased risk,” said Granholm. “We need better tools to manage waste, and we need Congress to give us those tools.” 

Since 1996, when Michigan first began collecting the data, the amount of waste from Canada being disposed of in Michigan has risen by 335 percent – from 2.7 million cubic yards to 11.6 million cubic yards. In the same amount of time Michigan has only increased its generation of waste by 26 percent. Today, waste from Canada amounts to almost 20 percent of the waste deposited in Michigan.

H.R. 2491 would also clarify that state actions to regulate Canadian or other foreign municipal solid waste does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s restriction on a state’s ability to regulate commerce.  Canadian trash has flowed to Michigan as a result of an overly broad interpretation of trade agreements and lack of enforcement that treat these cross-border shipments as commodities.

While noting that the legislation does not address trash shipments from other states, the Governor added that, “H.R. 2491 takes a very important first step in that direction and I urge Congress to act quickly.”

“Eliminating this barrier would allow Michigan to develop a solid waste management system that focuses on our own disposal needs without the threat of disruption from unpredictable and uncontrollable volumes of imported waste,” said Steve Chester, Director of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “I expect that Michigan would move quickly to take advantage of this new federal authority, if it is granted.”

H.R. 2491 is cosponsored by Representatives John Dingell (D-Dearborn), Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) and Mike Rogers (R-Brighton).  If approved by the subcommittee, the legislation would next be considered by the full House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow will introduce identical legislation tomorrow with Senator Carl Levin in the hope of swift approval by Congress and the President.

A copy of the Governor Granholm’s letter on H.R. 2491 is below.