Board of Water Supply and environmental groups oppose amendment to landfill siting law; committee defers HB1673

Committee members heard sustained opposition to House Bill 1673, concerning appeals of prohibitions on constructing or expanding landfill units inland of underground injection control (UIC) lines in counties with populations greater than 500,000. The Board of Water Supply and other witnesses said the bill’s HD1 version would roll back protections passed last session.

Ernest Lau (Board of Water Supply manager and chief engineer) and Arneson apologized for an inaccurate submitted testimony and clarified the Board strongly opposes the measure in its current form. He warned that HD1 "undid the good work by this legislature to protect our precious aquifer" and asked the committee to revert to the original, stronger language.

Environmental groups and community advocates likewise urged restoring the original bill language and closing perceived loopholes related to ash from waste‑to‑energy facilities. Energy Justice Network and others asked the committee to add language from Senate Bill 3259 to address ash handling, saying that without it ash could be used in road construction or other unlined applications that would spread contaminants.

Department of Health representatives said the HD1 options were discussed in prior committee work and that implementing rules and coastal maps are part of the Department of Health and Board of Water Supply guidance options. Board and county officials raised specific concerns about prohibiting seawater wells for desalination if certain options were adopted.

Given the stated conflicts between stakeholders and the request for revised testimony and technical options, the committee deferred decision making on HB1673 to allow the author and agencies to reconcile concerns. The committee scheduled further consideration for Thursday, Feb. 17 at 09:45 AM.