International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2007

Floor Speech

INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTE IMPORTATION AND MANAGEMENT ACT

Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, since 1992, Michigan has not been able to control the millions of tons of trash entering our State from Canada, and the problem continues. Every day, over 400 trucks from Canada dump trash into our State. These trucks come barreling across the border without inspection and examination, raising a viable national security threat.

At this time, our State government has almost no say in whether or not Michigan should accept the over 4 million tons of trash and hazardous waste from Canada every year. Michigan instituted laws banning Canadian trash in 1988, but the Supreme Court struck down these laws a mere 4 years later and ruled that Congress has not granted such authority to our State.

For too long, Michigan has had its hands tied by the Federal Government, and it is time to let the decisions about the integrity and the safety of our land be made by those who inhabit the land. As a proud cosponsor of H.R. 518, I urge my colleagues to support the International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act and empower Michigan 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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