Air Curtain Incinerator Measure Clears Committee, but Health, Environmental, and Community Concerns Persist

An amended version of Bill 36-0232 garnered just enough support to be forwarded to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary after its second hearing in the Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection on Monday.  Sponsored by Senator Clifford Joseph, the bill authorizes the use of air curtain incinerators as a method of dealing with massive piles of green waste in the territory’s two landfills. The law, as currently written, bans the burning of green waste. Since being introduced two weeks ago, the bill has been held in committee, special-ordered to a Legislative Session, and subsequently returned to its committee of jurisdiction.  During Monday's committee meeting, Senator Novelle Francis included an amendment that requires the Waste Management Authority to comply with several conditions, including a requirement that the air curtain incinerator’s operator be certified by the manufacturer. The machine must also not be operated “within 300 feet of any resid...