Massachusetts H 446: An Act to promote healthy communities and the environment

Bill Text

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1652 FILED ON: 1/19/2017
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 446

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Paul W. Mark
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to promote healthy communities and the environment.
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PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Paul W. Mark 2nd Berkshire 1/19/2017

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1652 FILED ON: 1/19/2017
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 446
By Mr. Mark of Peru, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 446) of Paul W. Mark relative
to reduction of the volume of non-recycled plastics and other materials that are disposed of in
landfills. Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)
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An Act to promote healthy communities and the environment.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 WHEREAS, each year a significant volume of plastic wastes are generated in the
2 Commonwealth which are not recycled through traditional recycling efforts and must therefore
3 be disposed of;
4 WHEREAS, it is in the interests of the people of the Commonwealth to reduce the
5 volume of non-recycled plastics and other materials that are disposed of in landfills;
6 WHEREAS, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (the
7 Department) recognizes in its Massachusetts 2010-2020 Solid Waste Master Plan: Pathway to
8 Zero Waste (the 2010-2020 Solid Waste Master Plan) that diverting materials from disposal
9 presents important environmental opportunities, economic development opportunities, and
10 disposal cost reduction opportunities for the Commonwealth;

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11 WHEREAS, the Department stated in its 2010-20120 Solid Waste Master Plan that the
12 State can do more to divert material from disposal and direct material toward an active and
13 productive second life in the Commonwealth’s economy; and
14 WHEREAS, the Department in its 2010-2020 Solid Waste Master Plan recognizes that a
15 number of innovative technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification have advanced in recent
16 years and it is in the Commonwealth’s interest to encourage the development of innovative
17 technologies for converting non-recycled plastics into fuels or useful products.
18 NOW, THEREFORE, the time has arrived for the Massachusetts General Court to
19 promote the beneficial conversion of non-recycled plastics via pyrolysis and gasification
20 processes into alternative fuels and other valuable final and intermediate products through the
21 following bill.
22 SECTION 1. Chapter 16 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official
23 Edition, are hereby amended by inserting section 21A after section 21:
24 Section 21A: Innovative Technologies.
25 (a) In developing and implementing comprehensive statewide solid waste master plans,
26 the Department of Environmental Protection shall promote the development and use of pyrolysis
27 and gasification processes to divert non-recycled plastics away from landfills and toward
28 conversion into alternative fuels and other valuable final and intermediate products by reducing
29 unnecessary and inappropriate barriers to the siting and operation of facilities utilizing such
30 technologies.
31 (b) Definitions. In this section:

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32 [ (1) Engineered Fuel. The term “engineered fuel” means a solid fuel that is
33 manufactured from non-recycled constituents of municipal solid waste or other secondary
34 materials.]
35 (2) Gasification. The term “gasification” means a process through which post-use
36 plastics are heated and converted to synthesis gas in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, which can
37 be converted into fuels such as ethanol or other chemical feedstocks.
38 (3) Post-use plastics. The term “post-use plastics” means plastics that derive from
39 domestic, commercial, municipal, or other sources of activities, plastics that are recycled in
40 commercial markets, and/or other plastics that might otherwise become a waste, where such
41 plastics are processed through pyrolysis or gasification to manufacture crude oil, fuels, and/or
42 other valuable final or intermediate products. Post-use plastics may contain incidental
43 contaminants (e.g., paper labels on plastic bottles, metal rings on plastic bottle caps, etc.).
44 (4) Pyrolysis. The term “pyrolysis” means a process through which post-use plastics are
45 heated in the absence of oxygen until melted and thermally decomposed, and are then cooled,
46 condensed, and converted into crude oil and/or refined into fuels, feedstocks (such as diesel and
47 naphtha), blendstocks, chemicals, waxes, lubric