SPSA to Stop Accepting Waste from Other States

Date: August 23, 2008

Source: News Room

The Southeastern Public Service Authority that represents nine municipalities in that part of Virginia said it has stopped accepting out-of-state waste and has no plans renew contracts that brought 73 thousand tons of wastes from other states last year. Bucky Taylor, the new executive director of SPSA, described the imports as "one of those bugaboos" that was a source of constant aggravation among its member communities. "We're not doing that anymore," he said. Waste imports would also have risen dramatically had a marine waste port in Portsmouth been constructed as planned under a partnership between SPSA and Covanta Energy. But that deal too fell apart amid much controversy. SPSA began importing wastes in 2001 to subsidize local disposal costs that otherwise should have risen to cover pending required pollution control measures at SPSA facilities. SPSA still has about $240 million in debt. The authority has already raised prices substantially and plans to impose "flow control" measures beginning in February 2009 to cover its obligations.

The Southeastern Public Service Authority: www.spsa.com.

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