Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require legislative approval for the state to renew a contract to operate the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town.
Monday's public hearing on the bill comes amid debate over a proposed expansion of the state-owned landfill and a contract extension for its operator, Casella Waste Management.
State Sen. Mike Tipping said that bill would give the public more input into management of the site.
"Ensuring that before any other decisions are made about this major state-owned facility, that the legislature, and through them, the people of Maine, would have a say," he said.
But Anya Trundy, deputy commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, said it is unlikely that another company would want to take on the contract.
"We just can't make a business justification for why anybody would want to pursue that," she said. "We look at it and we can't see what somebody's calculation would be for how they would recoup an initial investment."
Trundy said Juniper Ridge will run out of space in three years, but an expansion would extend operations until 2040. Casella's current contract expires in 2034 and is seeking a six-year extension.
