Opposing the permitting of a landfill next to Forest Lake State Park in Dalton, New Hampshire.
House Resolution 13 is a nonbinding resolution expressing opposition to the permitting of a landfill next to Forest Lake State Park in Dalton, New Hampshire. It recites a long series of findings about the importance of protecting public health, water quality, wetlands, wildlife habitat, scenic resources, and outdoor recreation, and it emphasizes the park’s role as one of the state’s original parks and a destination for swimming, boating, fishing, biking, and tourism. The resolution asks state officials to deny or challenge any landfill permit associated with the site.
The measure does not create a new regulatory program or amend the state’s environmental permitting statutes. Instead, it directs the House to urge the Department of Environmental Services, the governor, and the attorney general to take appropriate legal action against the landfill proposal. Its practical effect is political and advisory: it signals legislative opposition and seeks to influence how existing environmental, wetlands, water quality, and landfill-permitting laws are applied to the project.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly opposed to the landfill. The resolution frames the project as inconsistent with the state’s environmental mission, harmful to public health and natural resources, and potentially damaging to tourism and outdoor recreation economies. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no additional recorded debate or roll-call evidence of support or opposition beyond the resolution’s own language.
The main point of contention is the proposed landfill itself and whether its environmental and community impacts outweigh any benefit. Supporters of the resolution argue that a landfill adjacent to a state park and lakeside community would create nuisances, stigma, and risks to water, air, wildlife, and recreation. Any opposing view would likely focus on the landfill’s permitting merits, but no such arguments appear in the provided materials.
HR 13 would not directly change New Hampshire statutes or impose binding legal requirements. It is a House resolution that expresses legislative opposition and urges executive-branch agencies and officials to act against a landfill permit near Forest Lake State Park. Its effect is to influence administrative and legal decision-making under existing environmental, wetlands, and landfill permitting frameworks, especially those administered by the Department of Environmental Services.
The sentiment in the resolution is overwhelmingly negative toward the landfill proposal and strongly protective of Forest Lake State Park and surrounding natural resources. The bill text presents the project as a threat to public health, water quality, wildlife habitat, tourism, and the outdoor recreation economy. No vote history or committee testimony was provided, so the broader legislative sentiment cannot be measured beyond the resolution’s clear opposition.
The central contention is whether a landfill can or should be permitted next to Forest Lake State Park in Dalton. The resolution’s sponsors argue that the environmental, recreational, and economic harms are too great, citing concerns about wetlands, groundwater, air quality, nuisance impacts, and the park’s value to tourism. Any counterargument would likely emphasize the landfill applicant’s permitting rights or the adequacy of regulatory safeguards, but no opposing testimony or recorded vote is available in the provided materials.