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Senate committee advances bill to require PFAS testing of biosolids before land application
Summary
The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture advanced Senate Bill 650, which would require testing of imported biosolids for PFAS before permit approval and quarterly testing of permitted land-application operations; proponents cited risks to agricultural land and long-lasting contamination.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture advanced Senate Bill 650 on a voice vote after testimony and questions from members.
Senator DiMario introduced the bill as a measure that would require the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to require testing for PFAS of any biosolids prior to approval of a land-application permit, and to allow quarterly testing of entities already permitted to apply biosolids to land. DiMario said the bill responds to growing evidence that biosolids can contain high concentrations of PFAS and that applying those materials to agricultural land can have effects that “can be reversed for generations.”
Supporters said the proposal is a precautionary step. Emily Howe, executive state director of Clean Water Action Rhode Island, told the committee she supports SB 650 and called attention to the large public-costs associated with removing PFAS from water systems, noting removal costs can be extremely high over long timescales. The Rhode Island Farm Bureau signed in support but was not present to testify. Committee members asked DEM staff and witnesses about current DEM permitting practices and how the bill would fit with existing approvals.
DiMario said most biosolids produced by Rhode Island wastewater treatment facilities are incinerated and that the bill would not change those local practices; the bill is aimed mainly at imported biosolids that are land-applied. Committee members asked for a plain-language definition of biosolids (witnesses described biosolids as the solids or “sludge” leftover from wastewater treatment) and about enforcement of prior DEM guidance that restricted application to fields with edible crops.
The committee advanced the measure by voice vote; the transcript records committee members answering “Aye” but does not include an individual roll-call tally in the hearing record.
The bill next moves to the Senate floor for further consideration if picked up by the calendar.
