Sen. Elliot Werk
The Idaho Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee voted on Thursday to print a bill that would require a county to hold a public hearing if it wants to build on county-owned land an incinerator or energy-producing facility that would increase pollutants.
Boise Democratic Sen. Elliot Werk introduced the bill in response the Ada County Commissioners’ handling of the Dynamis waste-to-energy project, which was approved without a public hearing. The county said since the project was within a county-owned landfill, no public hearing was required under Idaho law.
Werk says the new law would apply only to county- or city-owned landfills, not private ones. He noted the permitting process to put an incinerator or energy-producing project within a privately owned landfill already requires a public hearing process. (Idaho Statesman)
