U.S. Congress studying flow control

The U.S. House of Representatives will evaluate three separate bills next week concerning the transport of waste across state and international borders. Any bill that prevents such transport could pose a problem for certain Canadian jurisdictions that export garbage south of the border, most notably the City of Toronto that began trucking most of its waste to the Carleton Farms Landfill west of Detroit, Michigan airport on January 1, 2003 after the city closed its Keele Valley landfill.

Members of the House subcommittee on environment and hazardous materials will hear arguments that seek to limit the movement of garbage across state borders and America’s borders with Canada and Mexico. There is a strong movement in Michigan to limit waste import and disposal in the state.

Industry observers say the bills are unlikely to pass in the Republican dominated House, and that interstate commerce laws have traditionally treated waste as just another commodity that should be allowed to move freely.