An Act To Protect Public Safety, Provide for the Prudent Use of Landfill Capacity and Save Taxpayers Money
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1983
Committee: Natural Resources
Sponsors: SCHNEIDER, DUCHESNE, BARTLETT, BABBIDGE, BLANCHARD, EBERLE, KOFFMAN, MAKAS, MIRAMANT, WAGNER

Legislative Document 
No. 1983 
S.P.777 
December 18, 2007 
An Act To Protect Public Safety, Provide for the Prudent Use of 
Landfill Capacity and Save Taxpayers Money 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 18,2007. Referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator SCHNEIDER of Penobscot. 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Representative DUCHESNE of Hudson and Senator: BARTLETT of 
Cumberland, Representatives: BABBIDGE of Kennebunk, BLANCHARD of Old Town, 
EBERLE of South Portland, KOFFMAN of Bar Harbor, MAKAS of Lewiston, MIRAMANT 
of Camden, WAGNER of Lewiston. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 38 MRS A §1306, sub-§7 is enacted to read: 
7. Weight of trucks. A person may not deliver waste of any kind in a vehicle with a 
gross vehicle weight, as defined in Title 29-A, section 101, subsection 26-A, of more than 
50,000 pounds to a solid waste-disposal facility, solid waste facility, solid waste landfill 
or waste facility if that facility or landfill is owned by the State and has been expanded or 
built out on or after the effective date of this subsection. The operator of a solid waste 
disposal facility, solid waste facility, solid waste landfill or waste facility that has been 
expanded or built out on or after the effective date of this subsection and is owned by the 
State may not accept for delivery at that facility or landfill waste of any kind that has 
been hauled in a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 50,000 pounds. 
Sec. 2. Determination of solid waste disposal capacity needs. The Executive 
Department, State Planning Office and the Department of Environmental Protection shall 
determine the solid waste disposal capacity needs of the State as of January 1, 2008 for 3, 
and 10 years and report their findings to the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over natural resources matters no later than November 5, 2008. Based 
on the capacity needs as of January 1, 2008, using the data from the report issued 
pursuant to this section the State Planning Office and the Department of Environmental 
Protection shall determine the capacity of state-owned landfills. The State Planning 
Office and the Department of Environmental Protection shall determine the State 
Planning Office's and the Department of Environmental Protection's ability to control the 
different and various waste streams flowing into state-owned landfills, broken down by 
waste stream and by the sources of these waste streams whether in state or out of state. 
The Department of Environmental Protection shall determine how best to control the flow 
of waste coming into the State in order to ensure the longevity of state-owned landfills 
and save taxpayers money. The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt 
major substantive rules, as described in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A, to extend the life of state-owned landfills. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that a person may not deliver waste of any kind in a vehicle with a 
gross vehicle weight of more than 50,000 pounds to a solid waste disposal facility, solid 
waste facility, solid waste landfill or waste facility if that facility or landfill is owned by 
the State and has been expanded or built out on or after the effective date of this 
legislation. It also provides that the operator of a solid waste disposal facility, solid waste 
facility, solid waste landfill or waste facility that has been expanded or built out on or 
after the effective date of this Ie'gislation and is owned by the State may not accept for 
delivery at that facility or landfill waste of any kind that has been hauled in a vehicle with 
a gross vehicle weight of more than 50,000 pounds. The bill requires the Executive 
Department, State Planning Office and the Department of Environmental Protection to 
determine the solid waste disposal capacity needs of the State as of January I, 2008 for 3, 
and 10 years and report their findings to the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over natural resources matters no later than November 5, 2008. Based 
I 
on the capacity needs as of January I, 2008, using the data from the report issued 
pursuant to this legislation the State Planning Office and the Department of 
Environmental Protection shall determine the capacity of state-owned landfills. The State 
Planning Office and the Department of Environmental Protection shall determine the 
State Planning Office's and the Department of Environmental Protection's ability to 
control the different and various waste streams flowing into state-owned landfills, broken 
down by waste stream and by the sources of these waste streams whether in state or out 
of state. The Department of Environmental Protection shall determine how best to control 
the flow of waste coming into the State in order to ensure the longevity of state-owned 
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landfills and save taxpayers money. The Department of Environmental Protection shall 
II 
adopt major substantive rules to extend the life of state-owned landfills.