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Senate committee advances PFAS, biosolids bill after amendments to address Farm Bureau concerns; members discuss funding and moratorium
Summary
Senate committee advanced S9011 / S9115A, a bill to manage PFAS in biosolids and create a PFAS Agricultural Response Program and Fund; the chair said Farm Bureau language was incorporated and discussion focused on $10 million funding proposals and the costs of remediation and a moratorium's reach.
Senator Pete Harcom introduced S9011 / S9115A to amend the Environmental Conservation Law, the Agriculture and Markets Law, and the State Finance Law to create a PFAS Agricultural Response Program and a PFAS Response Fund and to address PFAS in biosolids. Harcom told the committee the bill had been amended to incorporate Farm Bureau language and that the Farm Bureau was no longer opposing the measure.
Harcom outlined funding discussions he believed had occurred in the houses: "The original plan was for the Senate to put in 10 million, the assembly to put in 10 million, it would be 10 million for the testing program. 10 million to make farm whole. If there was a problem." A committee member responded that remediation costs would likely be ‘‘massive’’ and said the establishment of a fund was appreciated because remediation could affect many acres.
Committee discussion clarified several program features on the record: the moratorium in the bill is statewide; participation in testing is voluntary ("you don't have to test your land"); farms that find contamination would be eligible for the program to assist with remediation and reimbursement; and the legislative language was updated to address stakeholder concerns so the Farm Bureau was no longer opposing the bill. A committee member also noted that nonfarm sites (for example, a golf course using biosolids for irrigation) could be affected.
The committee recorded motions and seconds on the PFAS item and referred the bill to the Finance Committee for further consideration. The chair and members emphasized that establishing a fund is intended to provide resources for testing and remediation but that the scale of cleanup costs remains a concern and will be subject to budget negotiations.
The committee action allows the bill to proceed to Finance, where funding levels, eligibility rules and implementation mechanics will receive further scrutiny.
