Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a new law to tighten the state’s landfill regulations earlier this month, the culmination of a long-running effort by environmental activists to bring greater scrutiny to the process for opening or expanding landfills in New Hampshire.
Ayotte held a ceremonial signing of the new law in Dalton Thursday, where locals have fought for years against a proposed Casella Waste Management landfill.
“I said from day one that we would not let our North Country or any beautiful area of our state become a dumping ground for out-of-state trash,” Ayotte said in a press release. “With this new law, we’re giving communities a voice in the landfill siting process and protecting New Hampshire’s environment.”
The new law creates a seven-person solid waste evaluation committee composed of state officials and governor appointees that will review proposed plans for new and expanded landfills.
It also puts a moratorium in place for augmenting landfill capacity until at least July 1, 2027.
This law follows numerous failed attempts from lawmakers to put stricter solid waste rules into place that give more weight to the environmental and public health impacts of new projects.
