Issue Position: Canadian Trash

Issue Position

Michigan needs the authority to protect 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.

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 governments.

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 state government has almost no say in whether or not Michigan should accept trash and hazardous waste from Canada.

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, HR 518 "The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2007," passed the House in April 2007 and is currently awaiting action in the Senate. If passed into law, this bill would make the task of keeping Michigan green and beautiful much easier

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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