In this brief time I will attempt to give you the perspective of academic researchers who study the health, environmental, and agronomic impacts of land application of biosolids. Besides being familiar with land spreading in the Commonwealth, I am aware of the national perspective on this issue since I currently chair the academic committee of the National Biosolids Partnership. My comments today are based on a presentation given last month at a conference sponsored by the National Science Foundation. I hope to provide some insight into the disparity of opinions on this issue, and why this long-studied topic continues to receive attention. All of you understand that social reality is frequently divorced from scientific reality.
Logic is, after all, no match for fear.
But I would hope there is an underlying and pervasive philosophy that public policies must be based on sound, scientifically defensible arguments. Thus, I offer my opinion of the mainstream scientific consensus on this issue as a reference point for important votes you will cast in future days. The regulations of the Commonwealth were developed on the foundation of the Part 503 rule. Thus, the extensive multimedia risk assessment of Part 503 also serves as the scientific justification for our state regulations. The policies, as with any program of such enormous complexity, have received both praise and criticism from the academic community.