[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 168 (Thursday, December 6, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H9054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ENACT INTERSTATE WASTE LEGISLATION

  (Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this 
afternoon to call attention to yet another trash truck accident on 
Interstate 95. On Tuesday, a possibly overloaded 18-wheeler hauling 
trash almost snapped in half on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge because of 
its cargo shifting en route, and it consequently snarled Washington 
rush hour traffic for several hours and caused a 9-mile backup. 
Fortunately, it appears no one was hurt.
  This incident is only a symptom of a larger problem. Specifically, 
millions of tons of garbage are being shipped across State lines 
without States having the right to limit its importation. It makes our 
highways less safe and fouls the land and air in the communities 
surrounding the landfills. It is a health and safety matter that 
Congress should empower States to regulate.
  Currently, the hands of the States are tied. I urge the 107th 
Congress to enact meaningful interstate waste legislation that will 
enable States to protect their citizens and their environment from this 
continuous flood of out-of-state trash.

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