Environmentalists are pretty happy with the quick movement of a pair of bills introduced this month to fight an out-of-state company that reportedly had plans to dump tons of coal ash in Pickens County. (Read the latest.)
State Rep. Davey Hiott and Sen. Larry Martin, both Pickens County Republicans, introduced H. 4857 and S. 1061, respectively, to require any coal ash to be put in a “Class 3” landfill. The Pickens County property that a company wanted to use to build a landfill to dump ash and other stuff reportedly had been approved as a Class 2 landfill, which generally stores non-hazardous waste.
According to the Conservation Voters of South Carolina, “This is a big deal because coal ash is a dangerous waste product of coal-fired power plants containing toxic arsenic and lead that can contaminate groundwater, lakes, and streams— threatening the health of our families and the environment.”
The bill by Hiott, chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, passed 109-0 Wednesday and went to the Senate Thursday, where it was referred to the Judiciary Committee chaired by (wait for it) Martin.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!