PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 8, 2023
Lawmakers clashed Monday over a proposal to delay Maine’s ban on out-of-state trash for two years. Supporters say the operator of the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town needs out-of-state construction debris to solve a sewage sludge disposal crisis. Critics like Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, mounted a blistering attack on Casella during testimony. “Instead of coming up with solutions, Casella has decided to hold our communities hostage,” Bennett said. Casella is a $4.7 billion multistate company that rewards executives who make landfill revenue targets. Last month, Casella bragged to investors that its solid waste pricing program had driven quarterly year-over-year earnings up 12.2 percent, Bennett said.