PRESS ROOM

VIRGINIA HOUSE PANEL KILLS BILL
TO ALLOW CHESAPEAKE TO EXIT SPSA

(CHESAPEAKE, VA; January 29, 2007) – Action Wednesday night, January 24, by a Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee means neither Chesapeake nor any member-locality belonging to the Southeastern Public Service Authority will be permitted to leave SPSA before its contract ends.
            The vote to kill Chesapeake Republican Delegate John Cosgrove’s measure was unanimous, meaning the six cities and two counties that are members of the regional solid waste agency are obligated to stay in it until 2018, when the use and support agreement on which SPSA was founded expires.
            Delegate Cosgrove’s bill was filed in reaction to a 2006 court ruling that Chesapeake must remain a SPSA member and adhere to contractual responsibilities.
            Expressing the view of subcommittee members, Delegate Clarke N. Hogan, R-Halifax, said, “A contract is a contract.”

For more information, please contact Felicia Blow at 757-420-4700.

SPSA has been providing efficient and environmentally sound waste disposal services to the region and its residents since 1985. SPSA’s solid waste management system includes waste-to-energy, yard waste composting, drop-off and curbside recycling as well as other recycling programs, household hazardous waste collection, landfilling, landfill gas-to-energy and education programs. This integrated waste management system enables SPSA to put 57% of the waste it receives to a beneficial use, thus allowing the region to reduce its dependence on landfills.