A bill penned by Assemblyman Shae Sortwell of Two Rivers and Senator Andre Jacque has passed the Assembly and is moving on to the Senate.
The bill known as Assembly Bill 99 aims to facilitate the disposal of material dredged from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior by requiring the DNR to exempt facilities from various solid waste standards as they would pertain to disposal of dredged material.
Under this bill, the DNR would also be required to hold a public hearing in the county where a facility is located before approving a request to accept dredged materials that contain PCBs or heavy metals and would exempt the disposal of dredged materials from the various tipping fees.
Rep. Sortwell and Sen. Jacque said this proposal originated with the City of Two Rivers, and numerous local elected and appointed officials along the lakeshores have indicated their support.
Similar legislation was enacted in Indiana in 2018 and championed by both parties, with unanimous bipartisan support in both chambers.
