Walberg Op-Ed in Jackson Citizen Patiot: "Control Canadian Waste Flow"

Op-Ed

WALBERG OP-ED IN JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT: "Control Canadian Waste Flow"

Many of the fondest memories my wife Sue and I have of the childhood days of our three now-adult children involve our family spending time together in the Michigan great outdoors.

Together, we camped in many of Michigan's rustic wooded areas, swam in several of our state's pristine rivers and lakes and spent time hiking through green, knee-deep grass.

As campers, hikers, hunters and nature lovers, Michiganders cherish the beauty of our great two peninsulas, and we understand and respect the environment whose stewardship has been entrusted to us as citizens of this great state.

Currently, Michigan faces a pressing environmental problem that threatens the beauty of our land and the conservation of our natural resources.

Since 1992, Michigan has not been able to control the millions of tons of trash entering our state from Canada, and the problem continues to escalate each year.

As of right now, there are 400 trucks per day dumping Canadian trash into our state, and the total amount of trash transported into Michigan comes to 4.4 million tons per year.

At this time, our local communities and state government have almost no say in whether or not Michigan should accept trash and hazardous waste from Canada.

Michigan instituted laws banning Canadian trash in 1988, but the Supreme Court struck down these laws a mere four years later and ruled that Congress has not granted such authority to state and local governments.

In addition to jeopardizing beauty of our land, the dumping of Canadian trash on Michigan soil puts the safety of our families at risk.

The 400 Canadian garbage trucks a day barreling across the Michigan border do so without inspection and examination and are a viable national security threat.

Allowing this many trucks to enter our state without inspection is a risk that Michiganders should not be expected to tolerate.

Empowering our state to control Canadian trash is a top legislative priority for me in 2007.

One of my first acts after taking office was to join a broad, bi-partisan coalition that is working to give our state government the ability to control whether Canadian trash should be disposed of in Michigan.

The legislation our coalition is working on, "The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act," passed the House yesterday, and I look forward to working with Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) to encourage the Senate to consider this legislation in an expedited manner.

For too long Michigan has had its hands tied by the federal government, and its time to let decisions about the integrity and safety of our land be made by those who inhabit the land.

It is time Congress gave Michigan the power to make certain the beauty and safety of our land remains intact for generations of Michiganders to enjoy in the future.

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