Harvey Peeler

A bill that would place a two-year moratorium on new landfills in South Carolina, such as the landfill and recycling center Waste Management proposed in Cherokee County, was approved Tuesday by the state Senate.

State Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, said a third reading of the bill slated for today should be “routine.” The matter will then be sent over to the state House for consideration.

Getting the bill to the Senate floor was being stalled by objections from at least one member of the senate. Peeler, the majority leader, was prepared to push the bill onto the floor this week during a “special order” time slot, but Peeler said all objections were withdrawn Tuesday, allowing a vote.

The bill did change slightly, Peeler confirmed, as senators from the Williamsburg and Orangeburg areas were able to get some amendments added. But Peeler said none of the amendments would impact a moratorium on a landfill in Cherokee County if the bill is signed into law.

Backers of the moratorium argued the state needs to tighten its landfill regulations, since current regulations allow for far more landfill capacity than South Carolinians require, leading to an upswing in the importation of out-of-state trash. The moratorium, if approved, would last until December 2010 or until the state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s landfill regulations are reviewed and tightened.

by Tim Gulla

The Gaffney Ledger