Bedford to seek bill on bio-solid vote

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
State Sen. Roger Bedford will introduce a bill to the state Senate that would allow county voters to vote on whether or not treated human waste can be used as a fertilizer in the county.
Senate Bills 462 and 463 would amend the Alabama Constitution to severely regulate or prohibit the application of treated human waste or biosolids of farm fields as fertilizer or soil supplement if the public votes against its use.
While they had been used in small quantities in north Alabama for years, biosolids became a major issue in 2007 when Texas-based Synagro constructed a biosolid production facility on Crockett Lane near Leighton in rural
Colbert County.
The facility treats sewage sludge, including human waste that is brought into Colbert County by rail car through the Port of Florence.
The bill simply states that it proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow residents of Colbert and Franklin counties to decide by a yes or no vote if they want biosolids used as a fertilizer substitute.
Bedford told the Associated Press that if the bills could not outright ban the use of biosolids as a substitute fertilizer, he hopes they could regulate it to the point it would no longer be profitable for the company to do business in Alabama.
Bedford said he would be surprised if the residents of Colbert and Franklin counties did not vote to stop the use of biosolids in their counties.
Bedford said the Franklin County bill has yet to be signed out of the local legislative committee. Once it is, it must also be voted on by the Senate and House.
Since they are seeking a constitutional amendment, neither bill will require the governor's signature, Bedford said.