Republican leaders of the Utah Senate have taken control of a controversial landfill bill that critics blasted as a monopoly protection act for the state's largest commercial trash disposal facility. Supporters of the bill called it a matter of fairness to the ECDC landfill in Carbon County, which has had difficult times of late and wants potential competitors to play by the same rules it does. The original goal of the bill would both require legislative and gubernatorial approval of future landfills contracting with local governments, and also impose a 50-cent-per-ton state fee on all such facilities. But the bill would have blocked some potential ECDC competitors while grandfathering in others-the Solitude Landfill near Green River and the Promontory Point landfill in Box Elder County. More information: www.boxelder.org/beced/environment/solidwaste.html.