By Betsy Finklea
Dillon County Council Chairman Archie Scott is asking the public to join him in opposing SC House Bill 3290 and S.C. Senate Bill 203.
Scott, a member of the S.C. Association Board of Directors, said that the Association’s position is to “oppose efforts to undermine counties’ authority to address their responsibilities regarding the disposal of solid waste.” Scott believes that the bill will hurt everyone but large waste corporations.
The Dillon County Council recently passed a resolution in opposition to  both of these hills. The resolution states that “H. 3290 and S. 203 propose to take authority from locally elected and accountable  public officials and vest the authority instead with an industry that already disposes 75% of the municipal solid waste in the state, owns over two-thirds of the 11 million tons of permitted  annual municipal solid waste disposal capacity in the state while less than 5 million tons of municipal solid waste is generated by the state  annually, and imports over 600,000 tons of municipal solid waste into the state each year. “ It further states that “H. 3290 and S. 203 are an effort by a special interest lobby in South Carolina predominantly funded by the two largest solid waste corporations in the United States, Waste Management and Republic Services, to strip away authority from the counties and citizens for the benefit of these corporations without altering the burden of responsibility on the counties whatsoever.”
Scott is urging the public to contact their representatives to let them know that they oppose these bills:
Representative  Jackie E. Hayes  (District 55), Home Address: 240 Bermuda Road, Dillon, S.C. 29536, Home Phone: (843) 774-6125, Business Phone: (843) 841-3679, Columbia Address: 333D Blatt Bldg., Columbia, SC 29201, Columbia Phone: 803-734-3099
*
Representative J. Wayne George (District 57), Home Address: 223 Meadowview Lane, Mullins, S.C. 29574 , Home Phone: 843-464-9070, Business Phone: 843-464-6884, Columbia Address:  333A Blatt Bldg., Columbia, SC 29201, Columbia Phone: 803-212-6936
*
Senator Greg Hembree (District 28), Home Address: P. O. Box 944, N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29597, Home Phone (843) 249-2513, Columbia Address: 604 Gressette Bldg., Columbia, SC 29201, Columbia Phone: (803) 212-6016
*
Senator Kent Williams (District 30), Columbia Address: P.O. Box 142, Columbia, SC 29202, Columbia Phone: 803-212-6008/ 803-212-6011 fax, Work Phone: 843-423-3904, E-mail: kwilliams@marionsc.org, Marion Local Office:  (843) 423-8237 voice/ 431-6049 fax, Marion Address: P.O. Box 1514, Marion, SC 29571.