Roger Wood Talks Trash and Its Future With Ebel and Wimsatt

Trash has been burned, dumped in the ocean, entombed in large landfill sites and even buried in backyards. Now it’s called waste. The state of New Hampshire is taking action in the way of planning for the future of dealing with waste. That’s why the state has authorized the Solid Waste Working Group, composed of elected officials, environmental experts and others involved in the issue of where the trash is going to go in the future, to find solutions. InDepthNH.org podcaster Roger Wood has spoken to the chair of the Solid Waste Group, State Rep. Karen Ebel and Michael Wimsatt, of the Department of Environmental Services in this podcast.

Rep. Karen Ebel is serving her sixth term representing New London and Newbury. A former Deputy Speaker of the NH House, she is now serving her second term as the Democratic Leader Pro Tempore. Karen has served five terms as a House Public Works and Highways Committee member and now serves on the Finance Committee. She currently sits on several other legislative committees, including the House Rules and Facilities Committees.

During her tenure as Deputy Speaker, she oversaw the conversion of House committees to remote status to continue legislative work during the pandemic. Since 2019, Karen has focused on state solid waste issues, which had been ignored for decades by the legislature. She chairs New Hampshire Solid Waste Working Group, focusing on the state’s increasing solid waste recycling and disposal challenges. She has led the recent effort to update our solid waste laws. Karen is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Trinity College (VT). The Ossipee native returned to her home state in 1988, moving to New London with her family, after practicing law in Washington, DC for several years.

Karen has served on many boards, including The Nature Conservancy, the American Cancer Society, the New London Hospital Board of Trustees and almost two decades on the New London Planning Board. She was recently appointed to the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) board of directors.