Landfill fee hike sought
The Times-Reporter
COLUMBUS - A Stark County lawmaker wants the governor to change course on assessing fees at construction and demolition debris landfills saying the money is needed to monitor groundwater and protect the public.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency dropped plans, three years in the making, to charge a 10-cent per ton fee on waste dumped at the landfills in order to follow Gov. Ted Strickland’s directive that taxes and fees not be raised in the two-year budget he submitted last month to the Legislature.
State Rep. John Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, who sponsored legislation that set landfill standards, sent Strickland a letter asking the fee be imposed.
The fee was part of Republican-sponsored legislation passed in 2004 and was expected to generate $500,000 annually to be shared between the EPA and local health departments.
Hagan said he received no response from Strickland.
Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski told a House finance subcommittee Tuesday he would meet with the governor and the Office of Budget and Management to advocate the fee.
“I don’t think it’s dead,” said Melissa Fazekas, a spokeswoman for Korleski. “It’s not that we don’t support ground water monitoring. We will continue discussing it.”
“This was good policy two years ago when the Legislature approved it,” said Jack Shaner, a spokesman for the Ohio Environmental Council. “It was good policy three months ago when the EPA put its final touches on it. It was good policy three weeks ago when the EPA scheduled a public hearing. How is it suddenly not good public policy?”
“This is an instance when the agency is responding to the governor’s commitment not to increase taxes or raise fees during this budget process,” said Keith Dailey, a Strickland spokesman.
Dailey said the governor is open to talking about the fee.
“Public protection is always a top priority for this governor as well as the state’s EPA,” he said. “The governor is willing to work with and listen to legislators.”
Landfill operators did not oppose the fee, Hagan said, adding the governor should not let a campaign promise cloud his decision making.
“He was wrong to say he wouldn’t allow fee increases,” Hagan said. “Consider all the things we operate that have fees associated with them. There’s a normal cycle when fees increase. It shouldn’t be the prerogative of the governor to start or stop it. There are increased costs and changes in circumstances. If we went back to 1986, we wouldn’t have solid waste districts if the governor then said we couldn’t collect the fee.”
He suggested Strickland not think “about another election campaign. We’re here to do a job. It’ a common sense thing that needs to be done.”
Hagan said he voted for the legislation to impose the fee and he would defend the governor if he chose to impose it.
“We’re very disappointed in the governor’s office,” said Shaner, who testified. “There’s no good public policy reason on God’s green earth not to have this fee. Waste haulers from Hillary Clinton’s state (New York) are laughing all the way to the bank because they have gotten one over Ohio.”
