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Senate committee narrows soil-amendment bill to let Ag department target problem sites
Summary
Lawmakers approved a revised bill allowing the Georgia Department of Agriculture, working with EPD, to prohibit application of certain soil amendments at specific sites subject to active enforcement actions — with new language added to limit how broadly that authority may be applied.
Representative Chaz Leverett told the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committee he introduced House Bill 1223 to curb abuses in the state's Soil Amendment program while preserving the tool for most farmers.
"So that's basically the bill, mister chairman," Leverett said, describing a measure that would make it a violation to "apply or distribute a soil amendment on a tract of land" when (1) the owner or operator is subject to a consent order or active enforcement or investigation by the Department of Agriculture or the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and (2) a notice of violation has been issued and the owner/operator has been notified to cease application.
The bill, Leverett said, was written narrowly: a site is the area identified in a nutrient-management plan and a prohibition could be limited to a particular field or portion of a plan rather than…
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