North Carolina governor vetoes leachate bill

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has vetoed House Bill 576, which would have permitted landfills to spray leachate into the air as means of disposal, a blog post from NC Policy Watch says. The untested technology would, in theory, allow harmful particles to drop to the surface of the landfill while the smaller particles would float away. the report says.

The system was developed by Kelly Houston from Cornelius, North Carolina. According to the post, the bill was sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Dixion, Duplin County, and was opposed by environmentalists and several Democratic representatives. While Dixion said the technology was safe, he did not present any data or studies proving his claim, the post says.

Cooper wrote in his veto message that “scientists, not the legislature, should decide whether a patented technology can safely dispose of contaminated liquids from landfills.”

The bill passed 29-14 in the Senate and 75-45 in the House. Lawmakers could override the governor’s veto, but it will require a three-fifths majority. If they choose to override, it would occur when the first special session convenes Aug. 3.