SEN. KOLKHORST FILES LEGISLATION AIMED AT WASTE FACILITY IN COLORADO CO.

  

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst has filed legislation which she says will close a loophole in state law used by waste management companies to avoid permitting requirements.

Senate Bill 950 amends state health and safety code to clarify the definition of a commercial hazardous waste management facility.  This definition states that a non-commercial waste facility is one that “disposes of toxic waste that is stored, processed, or disposed of on the same location by the same owner that created it”.

Kolkhorst says she has worked on this bill with many Colorado County residents, who have presented concerns regarding the Altair Waste Facility.  According to Kolkhorst, this bill would require operators such as Altair Disposal Services to undergo the state’s full permitting process.

The bill aims to shut down a loophole and prevent situations like the one seen in Colorado County, where citizens concerned with the facility have not been able to use the full protections granted by the normal permitting process.  Kolkhorst states the people of Texas are not in favor of anyone “cutting corners when it comes to toxic waste”.