Natalie Sinisgalli-Kettavong
A Senate bill that would have banned the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer on New York farmland passed in the State Senate — but then quietly died in the Assembly.
Supporters say the bill was a necessary response to research showing harmful levels of PFAS and other toxic compounds in treated human and industrial waste, which can contaminate crops, waterways and drinking water. Opponents, including the waste processing industry, say the science isn’t settled and that banning sludge could devastate rural economies.
We look at how the bill unraveled — and what happens next.
Our guests:
- Jeongyoon Han, Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network
- Murray McBride, Professor Emeritus of Soil and Crop Sciences, Cornell University
- Karen Berger, hydrologist and environmental science professor, University of Rochester
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