Senate advances environmental quality bill adding five-year sunset for certain nonhazardous waste liner requirements
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Summary
Senators moved First Substitute SB 159 to third reading after sponsors said the measure transitions permitting rules for nonhazardous waste facilities toward a liner requirement over a five-year sunset period to address mine-industry waste handling.
The Utah State Senate advanced First Substitute Senate Bill 159, which alters permitting for nonhazardous waste facilities and places a five-year sunset on a transition toward requiring specific liners for certain waste containment.
Senator Stratton, the bill sponsor, said the bill "deals with the permitting that takes place when we are dealing with our non hazardous waste facilities" and adds a five-year sunset to allow industry and regulators time to transition to a liner requirement. He tied the changes to handling mine-industry waste while capturing state resources responsibly.
"What we're doing is we're putting a sunset of 5 years to, the permitting to allow a transition from the current, rule to requiring a specific liner in those hazardous waste, materials dealing a lot with, when our mine industry has waste that they, are responsible in not only environmental, safety and sensitivity as we use and capture the resources that are here within our state," Stratton said.
Senators who spoke thanked the sponsor for engaging with industry and indicated general support. The sponsor moved the bill to be read for a third time; the clerk recorded 25 yea votes, 0 nays, and 4 absences.
Why it matters: The measure affects permitting criteria for nonhazardous waste facilities—specifically a planned transition to a mandated liner—which carries long-term environmental and industry compliance implications.
Votes at a glance: First substitute SB 159 — Read for third time; recorded tally: 25 yea, 0 nay, 4 absent.
Next steps: First substitute SB 159 was advanced to third reading.