SEWAGE SLUDGE APPLICATION - S.B. 140 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 140 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor: Senator Walter H. North

Committee: Agriculture and Forestry

CONTENT

The bill would amend Part 31 (Water Resources Protection) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to:

-- Require the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), by October 1, 1997, to promulgate rules on the land application of sewage sludge.

-- Impose on sewage sludge generators and distributors an annual sewage sludge land application fee beginning in State fiscal year 1998.

-- Require sewage sludge generators and distributors to report annually to the DEQ on the amount of sludge generated or distributed and applied to the land in the State fiscal year.

-- Create the "Sewage Sludge Land Application Fund" to be used for administration of the bill, including education about the land application of sewage sludge.

-- Specify that the bill would preempt a local ordinance, regulation, or resolution that duplicated, extended, or conflicted with the bill's provisions, but allow a local unit to enact a more stringent ordinance if certain requirements were met.

-- Require the DEQ to hold a public meeting if a local government submitted a resolution identifying how the requirements for a local ordinance were met.

MCL 324.3101 et al. - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill is designed to generate approximately $650,000 in State revenue to be deposited into the "Sewage Sludge Application Fund".

The bill designates that 10% of the Fund would be appropriated to the Department of Agriculture. The remainder would be used by the Department of Environmental Quality to administer the bill or would be carried forward to the next fiscal year.

The proposed FY 1997-98 DEQ appropriations bill (S.B. 167) includes $650,000 in revenue and 2.0 FTEs for this program.

Date Completed: 2-26-97 - Fiscal Analyst: G. Cutler

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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.