LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville’s waste management district is suing over a new state law that changes how garbage and recycling are regulated across the city and Jefferson County.
The lawsuit was filed Monday by the Jefferson County attorney’s office against several parties, including the Jefferson County League of Cities, all 83 of the county’s small cities and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, news outlets reported.
The suit calls for an immediate injunction to block a bill signed into law by Gov. Matt Bevin last week that abolishes and reforms the Solid Waste Management Board, which oversees garbage and recycling countywide. The bill was enacted with an emergency clause, which means it took effect immediately.
Under the law, the new board will include more representation from small cities and waste haulers. It will also require any of the board’s waste management policies to be approved by officials governing the county’s small cities before going into effect in those jurisdictions.
According to the suit, the law violates the state’s constitution by only targeting Louisville. Mayor Greg Fischer’s office said the changes would roll back the city’s ban on plastic bags for yard waste.
“We believe this would roll back decades of consistent policies for waste management in our city,” said Chris Poynter, a spokesman for the mayor.
John Mura, a spokesman for the Energy Cabinet, declined to comment. Representatives for the other parties named in the suit were not immediately available for comment.
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