Richmond, Va.-The Virginia General Assembly will be making a minor change before Gov. Tim Kaine signs, in the next few days, a set of bills to shift regulation of biosolids use as a fertilizer to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), according to industry officials who support the move. “The end result will be that the biosolids permitting program in Virginia will move from the Department of Health to DEQ,” Katie Kyger Frazier, assistant vice president-public affairs for the Virginia Agri-Business Council, advised Green Markets. “The council believes that regulations and permits for the land application of biosolids on farm and forestland should be state-wide and science-based. As such, we are hopeful that with adequate resources devoted to this move to DEQ, the program will continue to gain public confidence, as well as continuing to provide our farmers and foresters with a valuable source of nutrients that biosolids provides.” Other biosolids legislation that raised agriculture concerns by giving greater local control over decisions of land application sites and normal farm storage sites was defeated in a House Agriculture Subcommittee early in the session, Frazier reported. Currently, the responsibility for regulation of the land application of biosolids is split between DEQ and Health, and under the new system DEQ will be required to conduct unannounced site inspections while biosolids are being applied. A fee of $7.50 is assessed on each dry ton applied in the state. With the governor’s signature the changes become effective next Jan. 1, provided that adequate funds have been authorized.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain