Preservation in the News

By: Jeff Hampton 

State lawmakers passed tougher landfill regulations Thursday, most probably eliminating a massive dump proposed for Camden County.

The new rules call for, among other things, a minimum distance of five miles from a national wildlife refuge. The Camden site sits well within five miles of the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, according to a map of the area.

"That alone would kill it," Jeff Jennings, chairman of the Camden County Board of Commissioners, said Thursday.

State and local officials acknowledged that industry-poor Camden would not get a landfill if the bill passed.

"It's a shame that Camden will lose that revenue source," County Manager Randell Woodruff said Thursday. "There were very few things we could do for this county that would generate that kind of revenue on its own. We'll just have to regroup."

Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, a Dare County Democrat who opposed the landfill, said Wednesday the state may help the county with another project on the same site but would not give details.

The county plans to build a commerce park, Woodruff said.

Camden County signed a contract with Black Bear Disposal, a subsidiary of Waste Industries USA, in November 2002 to build a landfill expected to be 2-1/2 miles long and 280 feet tall that could accept as much as 10,000 tons of trash daily from other states. It would have been the largest landfill ever in North Carolina.

The city of Chesapeake and some Camden County citizens filed suit against the county to block construction of the landfill.

"We're absolutely thrilled and grateful to the General Assembly, particularly to Sen. Basnight for his hard work," Chesapeake Mayor Dalton Edge said in a telephone message Thursday.

State lawmakers declared a moratorium on new landfills when four projects, including the one in Camden, proposed importing out-of-state trash.

After several months of study by a state environmental commission, different bills emerged from both the House and the Senate. The Senate bill was considered the more restrictive and was supported by Basnight.

This week, members of both chambers, including Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, debated into the evening hours to find compromises that would allow the bill to pass Thursday. Lawmakers hoped to end this year's session Thursday.

Among them was allowing companies seeking permits before the moratorium to be reimbursed for their expenses. Officials estimate Waste Industries spent hundreds of thousands taking the site through the permitting process.

Ven Poole, vice president of Waste Industries, could not be reached. Phone messages were left Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Gov. Mike Easley is expected to sign the bill into law.