By LEE HINNANT

A Senate bill filed last week and already included in the draft budget would ban state regulators from issuing permits for nearly all types of landfills for two years and require a new study on a host of basic waste disposal requirements imposed by state and local governments.

Local legislators Rep. Dewey Hill and Sen. R.C. Soles Jr. said they support the measure, which would affect the proposed Riegel Ridge and Red and Fred landfills in Columbus County, as well as the planned Hugo Neu and landfill nearby.

The bill caught Riegel Ridge developers, who are in their sixth year of efforts to obtain permits, by surprise. Despite controversy over plans for the regional landfill in the Green Swamp six miles south of Bolton, the Riegel Ridge proposal has secured several key state and federal permits and has steadily trudged its way through the regulatory process.

“We need to take care of our own trash,” Hill said. “We don’t need to take trash from other states.”

Greg Perverall, a Riegel Ridge partner, called the proposed moratorium an emotional, unneeded intervention by the Legislature in a process that already includes thorough technical review and public scrutiny.

“We already have ample rules and regulations to take care of any concerns that may be derived from a moratorium,” Peverall said. “There’s no reason to have an emotional, legislative pre-emption.”

Peverall said that landfill plans have always been subject to public review. The Riegel Ridge project – which would place a 107-acre landfill on a 760-acre site – has been the subject of 14 public hearings. He speculated that Riegel Ridge – which is backed by a majority of Columbus County commissioners – has been caught in the controversy over other landfill plans.

Of the 41 operating N.C. municipal solid waste landfills that meet current standards, none has caused documented, off-site pollution, Peverall said. Records at the state’s Division of Solid Waste back his claim.

The proposed moratorium calls for the state Environmental Review Commission to study the financial responsibility of landfill companies; the process leading to local government approval; landfill design and siting; traffic; inspections and prohibitions of dangerous wastes and ways to reduce solid waste. It would appropriate $20,000 for the studies.

“We need to give breathing room to see what is the best thing to do,” Soles said. “I don’t want North Carolina and our district to become a dumping ground.”

Peverall said about one-third of the state’s waste goes to landfills with fewer than eight years of remaining life. Given that design, permitting and construction can take more than a decade, a two-year moratorium could create capacity problems and lead to excessive prices for waste disposal, he said.

Staff Writer Nicole Cartrette contributed to this story.