Biosolids; requiring disclosure of use of biosolids for agricultural products and land application; requiring reporting. Effective date.
SB620 creates a new disclosure and notice framework for the use of biosolids in Oklahoma. The bill defines “biosolid” broadly to include sludge and PFAS-related substances, and it requires businesses authorized to operate industrial, municipal, or commercial facilities to disclose biosolid use when labeling products for sale and distribution. Covered products include compost, fertilizer, soil amendments, topsoil replacement, and mulch. It also requires full disclosure to purchasers of agricultural crops or vegetative material if those items were grown on land where biosolids were permitted to be applied or spread.
The bill further requires public signage on properties where biosolids are used, disclosure in any sale or lease of such property, and a publicly available Department of Environmental Quality map showing biosolid land application sites with application dates and landowner/lessor information. In addition, DEQ, working with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, must notify agritourism businesses within four miles of a planned biosolid land application at least 60 days in advance. The act would take effect November 1, 2025.
SB620 would add new statutory duties in Title 27A governing environmental disclosure, product labeling, land-use notices, and public reporting related to biosolids. It would affect businesses that produce or distribute soil-related products, agricultural sellers, landowners and lessors of application sites, agritourism operators, and the Department of Environmental Quality. The bill also creates ongoing recordkeeping and mapping obligations, including perpetual retention of site records and annual updates to a public website.
No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so the bill’s sentiment can only be inferred from its structure and caption. The measure appears to reflect a precautionary, transparency-focused approach toward biosolids and related PFAS concerns, suggesting support from proponents of stronger public disclosure and consumer notification. The bill’s referral to Energy indicates it was still in early legislative processing at the time of the available record.
The main points of contention are likely to be the breadth of the disclosure requirements, the inclusion of PFAS in the definition of biosolid, and the operational burden on businesses, landowners, and state agencies. Industry and agricultural stakeholders may object to labeling, signage, sale/lease disclosures, and public mapping requirements as costly or stigmatizing, while supporters would likely argue that consumers, neighboring land users, and agritourism businesses need advance notice and transparency about potential environmental and health risks. The four-mile notice radius and 60-day advance notice requirement may also be debated as either necessary protection or overly expansive.