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Committee releases bill to authorize natural organic reduction facilities amid industry debate
Summary
The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee released A4085, which would authorize and regulate natural organic reduction (NOR) facilities in New Jersey. Proponents called NOR an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation; cemetery representatives warned the bill could undercut cemetery funding and asked for statutory protections or partnership options.
The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee on the motion released Assembly Bill 4085, as amended, which would create a regulatory framework for natural organic reduction (NOR) facilities and fold oversight of the process into mortuary law.
Stacy McCormick of Earth Funeral told the committee that "natural organic reduction is a gentle, respectful, environmentally friendly alternative to cremation," describing a process that uses microbes in sealed vessels to convert a body into soil. McCormick said the process takes about a month, yields soil families can keep or donate for conservation projects, and is already legal in 12 other states.
Samantha Moncello, director of government affairs for the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, said the bill must treat NOR "as a mortuary process," arguing that facilities and the supervised decomposition process require "thorough oversight by licensed funeral directors" and should be incorporated into the mortuary statutes so state standards for handling human remains apply.
Opposition testimony from Matt Halpin of the New Jersey Cemetery Association warned the committee that New Jersey's existing legal separation between cemeteries and funeral providers protects cemetery solvency and long-term care of burial grounds, and that allowing NOR outside cemetery involvement could move final disposition away from cemetery grounds. Halpin said many cemeteries are financially strained and urged amendments that would incorporate cemeteries into the NOR model, such as joint ventures or allowing funeral directors to perform NOR on cemetery property. In the transcript Halpin cited a cost number for the process as "somewhere between $10,015,000," a figure that appears garbled in the record and for which the precise intended value was not specified.
After discussion about possible statutory adjustments to preserve cemetery roles and board oversight, the committee voted to amend and release A4085 for reprint. Roll call recorded unanimous yes votes from the members present. The bill moves forward to the next stage of consideration.
The committee heard no formal amendments adopted on the floor of the committee beyond technical corrections described in the record; staff and sponsors and stakeholders indicated they expect further drafting to address cemetery concerns.
