Atlanta-Proposed legislation to impose financial restrictions on land application system operators seeking permits to apply biosolids for fertilizer is dead, at least for this session of the state general assembly, according to its sponsor. “I don’t have enough time to get it out of committee and on to the House floor by this week,” Rep. Tommy Benton told Green Markets. Benton’s House Bill 238 would require – in the name of water pollution control – proof of sufficient finances to conduct an environmental cleanup if required. That, according to Benton, would mean either purchasing an insurance bond or depositing cash in reserves equal to the cost of the cleanup. Applicators have voiced strong opposition to both stipulations. Benton said he was advised by the chairwoman of the House natural resources committee to hold the bill for more study during the coming year and consider it in the 2010 session. Recent incidents in the state have alleged biosolid liability. The University of Georgia is in a federal lawsuit over damage caused by sludge applied to two Augusta-area dairy farms. The suit says the farmers relied on faulty UG research. The city of Augusta settled a suit with one farmer and lost another because it was the source of sludge, which was found to contain toxins responsible for killing the farmers’ cows.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain