GOP NH State Senator Kevin Avard Advocates For Removing Local Controls & Negating Legal Agreements

Описание: Local control in New Hampshire was the hot topic today in the NH State Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearings on proposed bills SB536 and SB593. if one looks at the history of Bethlehem and the growth of the NCES Landfill, Bethlehem has been on the losing end each time, only now realizing that victory is near as Casella runs out of capacity at NCES and will need to close. In fact, if one does the math, NCES has exceeded its permitted capacity, and should be closed, for that reason and for the ongoing contamination of site groundwater, all within the watershed of the Ammonoosuc River just hundreds of feet away. Why is NCES still open? Yet these GOP Senators would sell their principles and advocate for NCES expansion with SB593, Bethlehem be damned as local control and legal agreements would be negated in order to concentrate decision-making and approvals in Concord at NHDES.

Keep in mind, NH State Senator Kevin Avard is only whining about the failures of Casella to get what they want in new Hampshire because environmental activists began paying attention to what was happening at the NCES Landfill in Bethlehem, NH. He confirms how clueless he continues to be, knowing so little about the current status of landfill capacity in the state, at numerous landfills, including Nashua.

Coupled with the January 12, 2026 announcement of a $1.9 Million fine against Casella for "several categories of violations spanning multiple years", it's no wonder Casella has been having difficulty obtaining permits for a new landfill just 6 miles away, in neighboring Dalton, next to Forest Lake. Now, Casella needs to pivot back to Bethlehem, needing Senator Avard's bill (including HB707, as amended by the Senate), to circumvent local control in Bethlehem, primarily in the form of the town zoning ordinance and the 2012 Legal Agreement. It is also revealed by Casella's lobbyists on the Senate E&NR Committee during the hearing that the adjacent 100-acre Tucker property is where Casella intends to expand its NCES Landfill operations.

The whole "capacity crisis" narrative gets recycled today, with it being debunked, again.

Not sure how much faith can be placed in NHDES, since it has been under their regulatory oversight that NCES has racked up "several categories of violations spanning multiple years".

BIA is supportive of removing local controls. Might want to start identifying those businesses who are members of BIA and reconsider business ties, etc. with those companies taking such a position within our state, contrary to our interests and environmental health.

Some really great testimony today, on both bills. Two attorneys weighed in with some powerful testimony. NCES liability in Bethlehem is also raised and discussed. Will Bethlehem and/or the State of NH be on the hook for site cleanup at NCES, should that subsidiary of Casella's go bankrupt, etc.? Good questions, we await answers.

Enjoy Atard's whining and ignorance, all of which was on full display.

SB536 (landfill site eval committee) bill info: https://legiscan.com/NH/bill/SB536/2026

SB593 (removal of local control) bill info: https://legiscan.com/NH/bill/SB593/2026

Link to Senate Livestream for SB536 and SB593, 2/3/2026: https://www.youtube.com/live/cBUPK_Ek...

All of this, of course, is my opinion, based on my experience and research.