Evan Bayh: “states have been struggling for years to ensure safe, responsible management of out-of-state municipal solid waste. As…”

“states have been struggling for years to ensure safe, responsible management of out-of-state municipal solid waste. As Governor of Indiana, I tried to ensure that Indiana's disposal capacity would meet Indiana's municipal solid waste needs. Efforts to institute effective waste management policies were--and continue to be--thwarted by two obstacles. The first is the massive and unpredictable amounts of out-of-state waste flowing into state disposal facilities. States' attempts to address that problem run into the second obstacle. The Supreme Court has established, in a series of opinions, that Congress must first provide the states the authority to regulate interstate waste. I rise with my colleague today to introduce legislation to do just that. Senator Voinovich and I, as Governors, participated in a cooperative effort to develop a set of principles for federal action on interstate waste. The Voinovich/Bayh interstate waste control bill is based on those principles. Mr. President, the need for controls in interstate waste is even more acute today than when I was a Governor. Current governors supporting our bill know this better than anyone. In Indiana, waste imports are again on the rise. After decreasing from 1992 to 1994, waste imports increased significantly in 1995 and doubled in 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, out-of state waste received by Indiana facilities increased by 32 percent to their highest level in the last seven years.”