Garbage
Submitted by James on Fri, 08/03/2007 - 9:47am
David Mills, who heads the Common Sense Foundation, has an informative piece up at NCPW today about the trials and tribulations of landfill legislation. It's a complicated set of issues, and David does a nice job sifting through them.
Mega-landfills have been proposed for Brunswick, Camden, Columbus, Hyde, Richmond, and Scotland counties, all of which are struggling economically. Dumping out-of-state waste on the poorest counties in the state may have some short-term benefits in job creation, but the environmental impact must be minimized and closely observed.
Furthermore, state leaders should consider investing in real, sustainable economic development for these depressed counties. Instead of dumping trash on them, and instead of dumping cash on corporations to locate there, state government should invest in local infrastructure to make these counties more attractive to industry. Investing in the community colleges to enhance the attractiveness of the local work force would be a fine start.
The poor get screwed again.
Poor Scotland County
I'm not sure if their tax rate just changed, but it was about the highest in the state at $1.00. How can they get industries to invest there when neighboring Moore County has 1/2 the rate?
Another issue about the garbage- how will it get to these rural areas? Unless the dump is on a rail line, that means hundreds of garbage trucks a day coming through small towns on inadequate roads. It has been claimed that the route trucks would take to the Scotland County site would be right down US-1 through Southern PInes and Aberdeen. That stretch of road is already so congested, the DOT essentialy says the design has failed. Nothing like adding a few hundred more trucks coming through each day dripping yankee garbage juice...
Tax rate versus property rate?
Just curios. If the rax rate is $1.00 vs. $0.50, but you could get property in Scotland County at 3/4 the per-square-foot cost - wouldn't that offset the problem?
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Yes
If there is suitable property. If not, where might you prefer to locate a new facility- in a county with $1 taxes or one a few miles away for half that? Of course, the worst part is that commercial development would help spread out the tax burden and lower the rate, but if the rate is already too high it discourages such development. Outside incentives would need to be added to perhaps help pay for construction or rennovation expenses to make it more attractive to put a facility there.
I think the removal of the Medicaid burden from the counties will help Scotland a lot. It should help pull them out of the low propety value, high tax, high medicaid utilization death spiral.
Why Does NC Value Itself so Cheaply?
North Carolina is a great state! People are flocking here in droves.
Why are we paying people to rape us?
I don't understand. I really, really don't understand.
Cause taxes are evil!!!!
It's much better to be last in the state in health care, child survival, education, and hope than it is to have higher taxes.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
garbage juice indeed
Even if the dump is on a rail line, the garbage would still come straight through Southern Pines and Aberdeen - right through downtown. What a delightful swill-spill that could make. We in Moore County need to support our neighbors in Scotland County a little better in fighting this thing.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
How about hog juice?
NC is already home to 10+ million hogs - most defecating upon our eastern seaboard - many in the same counties targeted for mega-fills.
One encouraging development in solving the hog waste problem has come from NCSU's research into not only managing that waste stream effectively but turning it into a net asset generating electricity.
I'm not enthused by the prospect of mega-fills but if they are to be, I wonder what our State can do to convert that waste stream into a net asset. Maybe as a condition of siting these landfills a requirement for state-of-the-art electronics recycling, hazardous waste separation, bio-mass conversion, new tech recycling processes? Each of those options would encourage 2nd and 3rd tier industries clustered around the mega-fills - a possible sustainable boon to the local economies.
And, just maybe, if, from the outset, the State demands that the waste stream be considered resources ready to be reworked instead of something to dump in a big pit the whole mess will be worthwhile.
CitizenWill
there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right. MLK,Jr. to SCLC Leadership Class
CitizenWill
there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right. MLK,Jr. to SCLC Leadership Class
Those seem like some mighty big IF's
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Yeah, ok.
You have it in your backyard, though, ok?
:)
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
True...
True, but IF you don't ask then you don't get.... The scenario I sketched out was my humble attempt to turn a sows ear into a silk purse....
CitizenWill
there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right. MLK,Jr. to SCLC Leadership Class
CitizenWill
there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right. MLK,Jr. to SCLC Leadership Class
I understand and agree
I'm just finding myself pretty damn discouraged with the net-net of the General Assembly's actions. I know lots of people are all gushy about things - and there were are few positive outcomes - but I see the glass way more than half empty. The back-room deals, the Big Business Senate, the influence of the University (over, say, the equally important community colleges), the influence of Big Power, and on and on.
I know what it's going to take to change things: new representation. I just don't know if North Carolina progressives will get off their butts and wins some seats.
We're in better shape than most here in Orange County. Which mostly makes me want to secede.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.