It is a paradox for the state: The Department of Environmental Services predicts that, in the next 10 years, New Hampshire will lack solid waste disposal capacity of between 20,000 and 120,000 tons per year, and that shortfall could reach 1.35 million tons per year starting in 2034. Yet a proposed landfill in Dalton that would help solve the need could damage a state park and hurt tourism, which the state depends upon.
The New Hampshire House passed House Bill 177 on April 9 to protect state parks in towns without zoning laws, such as Dalton, but did so against the recommendation of the House committee that had reviewed the proposed law. The bill now goes to the state Senate for action.
Arguments against the landfill include the potential damage to the environment. The Coakley Landfill in North Hampton leaked PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances, which can lead to liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression, and cancer) into the local water supply. Landfills also mean increased truck traffic and unpleasant odors, which could make the nearby state park less attractive to tourists.
On the other hand, without additional landfills, residents and businesses will face ever-increasing costs as trash is shipped to landfills in other states. Opponents of the bill point out that the state already requires environmental safeguards to prevent pollution. Then there is the argument that the state should not interfere with local governments and private landowners.
Government Surveillance
Striking a balance between monitoring suspected terrorists and spies and protecting Americans’ rights to privacy is not an easy task, and the American Civil Liberties Union believes that current laws make it a one-sided equation. On Monday, the ACLU asked the United States Supreme Court to provide greater access to the decisions of the federal surveillance court.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court claims it lacks authority even to consider a public claim under the First Amendment to their secret decisions and lawmaking. Privacy advocates say that most subjects never know their information has been harvested and do not get to see what the government told the court or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review.
Congress enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978, allowing domestic surveillance of suspects outside of the criminal justice system. The FISC must persuade a judge that the target for eavesdropping is probably an agent of a foreign power, but targets can include Americans and any communication in which one party touches U.S. soil.
The high court is being asked to review whether the public has a right to see the decisions of the FISC, whose reach has grown, bringing more calls for public access to its operations.
U.S.-China Climate Agreement
The new U.S.-China Joint Statement Addressing the Climate Crisis was released by the White House on April 17, stating, “The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands.”
Among its recommendations is the strengthening of the Paris Climate Accord which the United States withdrew from under President Donald Trump. The two sides agreed to “enhanced climate actions that raise ambition in the 2020s in the context of the Paris Agreement with the aim of keeping the above temperature limit [1.5 degrees C] within reach and cooperating to identify and address related challenges and opportunities.”
It continues, “Both countries look forward to the US-hosted Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22/23” which coincides with Earth Day.
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where we discuss the news of the day. You can support us by subscribing to this newsletter for as little as $5 per month and, in exchange, you will receive all posts directly in your email in-box. Paid subscribers also have access to the web archives of all the newsletters. Subscribers can share their knowledge, thoughts, and questions about any topic, and we may select some of those subjects for more in-depth analysis.
If you’re unable to pay but still want to see twice-weekly public posts at the News Café, sign up with a free subscription. You’ll get the public posts in your in-box, and will be able to share them with your friends.
Either way, we invite you to fill your cup with your favorite drink, pull up a chair, and join us at The News Café as we build our community. www.libertymedianh.org