“Last year the Legislature appointed a committee to study electronic waste,” (TVs, computers, etc.) said Edwards. “The outgrowth of that committee’s findings prompted this legislation.”
Edwards said there are a few main points her bill will look at. “Number one is the volume of electronic waste. It’s the fastest growing and the current market doesn’t account for growth,” she said. “Most people have computers and printers sitting around. As consumers, we know we shouldn’t just throw them away, but we don’t know how to dispose of them. This bill would create a consistent statewide way of handling disposal. The landfill is an unsafe depository of these things.”
In rural areas, or deserts, Edwards said people are taking old TVs out and using them for target practice. “If you go out to the west desert areas, there are skeletons of old TVs,” she said. “That is very concerning to those communities.”
According to Edwards, at least 20 other states have legislation in place for the recycling of electronics. “It is the producer’s (or manufacturer’s) responsibility to take it from ‘cradle to grave’ and back to cradle as it is recycled,” she continued. “Most manufacturers have that built into their pricing. Utah is not gaining from that. We are basically subsidizing those other 20 states.”
The main points of Edwards’ bill would address a consumer recycling program, provide for an established drop off point, maintain a list of manufactures who would have to register with the state, and assign a cost to the manufacturers.
She is also working on a bill that would tighten the structure of the air quality board. “It would be broadened and deepened by two additional members,” said Edwards. “One member would represent the public and the second would represent transportation, since it is one of the main contributors to air quality concerns.”
Barrus is working on getting refinery operators to come together to put into place consistent methods of operation. “We’ve met with refinery operators and they all approach the process in different ways,” he said. “The refineries want to work together and form the Process Safety Management sub committee to share their best practices with each other.”
Barrus said that OSHA is working with a constrained budget in Utah, and he will be looking into ways to improve how they work in refineries. He also intends to foster community interface between refineries and the community. In addition to that, he wants to find a better way of handling land use when a refinery needs to expand or a neighborhood starts to grow.
“Changing neighborhoods can end up on the doorstep of a refinery,” he said. “We need to find a way to communicate with the city council and planning commission without infringing on the city’s zoning laws. Those (laws) are a local issue. For example, around Silver Eagle there was not enough communication from both parties.”
He is hopeful he can make the changes without formal legislation, but has a boxcar bill ready just in case. “We just want to help refineries operate in a safe manner,” Barrus said. “If the refinery can establish the confidence of its neighbors, it shouldn’t be an issue to have a refinery as a neighbor.”
bginos@davisclipper.com
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