Roger Doucette

Greetings Chairwoman Aron and Members of the Energy and Agriculture Committee, Please support HB 215, the Landfill Public Benefit Bill. After studying the bill, I have to ask why wouldn’t we want to know—for any project—if there is a net benefit for the public? Weighing the pros and cons of any undertaking is essential to an effective and safe outcome. Why would we build a landfill that is detrimental to our wellbeing? A net benefit analysis is necessary to assure that all is right. The Saint-Gobain corporation’s seemingly irremediable pollution in Merrimack is a good example of a project gone awry with great harm to the community’s environment and public health. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis of their permit applications could have been a tremendous service to the public good. Further, HB 215 provides a guideline for determining the need and timing for permitting more landfill capacity for New Hampshire’s trash. This can be an important step toward preventing out-of-state trash from continuing to consume our landfill space. In its statement of purpose RSA 149-M:1 mandates we must “conserve precious and dwindling natural resources through the proper and integrated management of solid waste.” In closing, the requirement that landfill projects stand on their own merits and provide net benefit to the public—NOT linked to other projects quid pro quo—is also essential for a clear and fair process in permitting plans that have significant, long-term public impacts. HB 215 brings changes that are needed in the process of updating our state’s waste management policies. As you know from legislation before you in recent sessions, there are many aspects of our outdated and dangerous regulations that can be improved by science-based review and legislative action. Passing HB 215 is a good start in this session and I hope you will all endorse it heartily. With appreciation for your consideration of my comments and for your service to the state and the public good, Roger Doucette Whitefield, NH