US, Canada Face Off Over Garbage

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill giving U.S. states -- like Michigan -- the power to ban the importation and dumping of solid waste and hazardous waste from foreign countries -- like Canada.

Should the bill H.R. 518 become law, Michigan could immediately stop over 400 Canadian garbage trucks a day from dumping their loads in the state's landfills. Most of the Canadian garbage enters Michigan from Ontario, where officials have already agreed to stop sending Michigan its crumpled masses of household trash, but not until 2010.

While the House passed the bill on a voice vote, its fate in the Senate is more uncertain. President Bush has stated his opposition to the bill under NAFTA and other existing trade agreements with our northern neighbor. Canada, for example, accepts shipments of hazardous waste from 32 U.S. states and, as the Toronto Star points out, "could retaliate by ending that arrangement and forcing the U.S. to find another home for its own waste."

Also See:
U.S. Regional Trade Agreements (US Economy)
Bush to Build NAFTA Superhighway? (Liberal Politics)