WASHINGTON – Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) joined Michigan Congressman John Dingell (D-Dearborn) in introducing the International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act, legislation to curtail the importation of solid waste from Canada.  This is the same as the legislation that passed the House in the 109^th Congress. 

“Michigan cannot afford to be a dumping ground for Canadian trash,” Stupak noted.  “The legislation I am co-sponsoring would help to bring to an end the practice of Canadian trash being imported into Michigan.”

All other members of the Michigan delegation signed onto the bipartisan legislation, including Representatives Camp, Conyers, Ehlers, Hoekstra, Kildee, Kilpatrick, Knollenberg, Levin, McCotter, Miller, Rogers, Upton and Walberg.  Reps. Baldwin (D-WI), Gillmor (R-OH), and Albert Wynn (D-MD), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, also co-sponsored the bill. 

If enacted, this legislation would require implementation of a previous treaty between the United States and Canada to govern the movement of trash between the two countries.  Currently, states and local governments are not allowed to control trash coming in from out of their state. The bill would temporarily empower states to limit the trash they accept from outside the United States until the Environmental Protection Agency develops regulations to fully implement the treaty. 

Stupak noted that an audit conducted by the Department of Homeland Security demonstrated that some trucks carrying trash from Canada into the United States have been found to be containing medical waste, illegal drugs, and illegal currency, raising significant border security and national safety concerns. 

“The flow of Canadian trash into the United States, in general, and into Michigan, in particular, raises not only environmental concerns, but also homeland security concerns,” Stupak noted.  “I look forward to working with other Members of the Michigan delegation to push this legislation forward swiftly.”

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