Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Fee Pricing Structure and Procedure

Regulation Authority:

RIGL 23-19-1 et seq, including 23-19-10 (5), 23-19-10 (10), 23-19-13, 23-19-28.1, 42-35

Purpose and Reason:

The final language of this rule was amended by the RIRRC Board of Commissioners in response to comments received from the public during the public comment period. Originally, the rule was to establish a cost-based and predictable mechanism by which to determine the solid waste disposal fee paid to Resource Recovery Corporation by the cities and towns of Rhode Island. The procedure would have established the municipal solid waste disposal fee in accordance with the actual cost of landfilling services. The revised and adopted language now would only raise the municipal disposal fee enough to cover the projected cash shortfall, after factoring commercial revenues into the formula. The municipal solid waste disposal fee pricing structure is based on projected operating cash expenses, projections for debt service, and normalized capital requirements. The fee will be reviewed biennially, and will produce a firm two-year municipal solid waste disposal fee, with a planning estimate for the remaining three years of the five-year look ahead period.