2014 -- S 2793

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LC005107

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL SELECT COMMISSION TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senator Frank Lombardo

     Date Introduced: March 25, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture

     WHEREAS, It is vital to the public interest to properly manage solid waste generated

within the territorial borders of the State of Rhode Island in order to protect the public health and

welfare of the inhabitants of the state and to protect and preserve a healthy and natural

environment; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is charged with the

proper management of the state’s solid waste through necessary, cost efficient, and

environmentally sound systems, facilities, technology, and services for solid waste management

and resource recovery; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation enjoys a special

relationship with the state’s thirty-nine municipalities in that the central landfill is a public

resource of limited and finite capacity which the state, as guardian and trustee for its people, has

the right and the obligation to preserve for the use of its people; and

     WHEREAS, Providing long range price stability and predictability for municipal solid

waste disposal and recycling should continue to be a primary goal; and

     WHEREAS, The state, by creating the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and

through it operating the central landfill and materials recycling facility, is a participant in the

landfill services market and has entered that market for the purpose of serving citizens, residents,

and municipalities of this state; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, through proper

organizational restructuring, fiscally sound reduction of operating costs, increased educational

and outreach activity, and sound management practices has added ten years of life to the central

landfill, providing capacity through 2034; and

     WHEREAS, Recent changes in the law, improvements and innovations in processing

technology, global economic influences, and development of local opportunities to grow the

green economy in the state, necessitate a re-examination of the future of solid waste management

in Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, The task of creating a blueprint for the future of solid waste management in

the state beyond 2034 requires an historic effort and unprecedented cooperation among diverse

interest groups; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That the “Select Commission to Determine the Future of Solid Waste

Management in Rhode Island” be and the same is hereby created, consisting of sixteen (16)

members: two (2) of whom shall be members of the House, to be appointed by the Speaker; two

(2) of whom shall be members of the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one

of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, or

designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation,

or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Department of Environmental

Management, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Department of

Administration, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the League of Cities and

Towns, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of Statewide Planning, or designee; one of

whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, or designee; one of

whom shall be the President of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, or designee; one

of whom shall be the President of the Environment Council of Rhode Island, or designee; one of

whom shall be a designee of the solid waste industry, to be appointed by the Senate President and

the Speaker of the House; and two (2) of whom shall be public members from the Town of

Johnston, one of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President and one of whom shall be

appointed by the Speaker of the House.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study of all technical,

environmental, policy, and financial issues concerning the future of solid waste management in

the state of Rhode Island. The commission will specifically examine the following, as well as any

other relevant issues:

     a. The state’s proper role in solid waste management.

     b. The mix of private and public finance, operation, and ownership of solid waste

facilities which is most appropriate.

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     c. The steps necessary to maximize source reduction, reuse, and recycling of solid waste.

     d. The appropriate methods to ensure that affordable, safe, and environmentally

protective solid waste disposal is available for the remaining waste.

     e. The appropriate funding mechanism for these facilities and activities.

     f. Policies which enable a system of solid waste management to remain viable and

consistent for the ongoing benefit of the citizens of Rhode Island.

     The commission shall submit to the General Assembly a report that evaluates and

recommends solid waste disposal option(s) and sets forth an action plan that establishes the

timeline necessary to implementing an economically sound disposal option to manage the state’s

solid waste once the central landfill’s capacity is fully exhausted.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

the call of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House and organize. The Speaker of the

House and the President of the Senate shall each select one member to serve as co-chairperson of

the commission. The commission shall meet regularly, and vacancies in said commission shall be

filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

General Assembly no later than January 5, 2016, and said commission shall expire on June 30,

2016.

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LC005107

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