eNews Action Alert – February 11, 2026

OPPOSE SB386 which would increase costs for wastewater facilities and raise utility bills for customers!

Wednesday, February 11, 2026/Categories: eNews

OPPOSE: Bill would increase costs for wastewater facilities and raise utility bills for customers

SB386 will be heard in the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations this week!

SB386 (Stuart) Distribution of sewage sludge; perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances testing requirements; civil penalty. 

This legislation will establish extremely strict and unworkable requirements that will effectively prohibit the land application of biosolids that contain trace amounts of PFAS.

Reasons to OPPOSE SB386

• This is an unworkable ban. The bill bans land application of biosolids containing even “trace amounts” of PFAS. PFAS is ubiquitous in the environment and biosolids are no exception. All biosolids have trace amounts of PFAS. So do the air and the rain and the water.
• If land application of biosolids is not possible then localities will face significant capital costs for either the permitting and construction of incinerators or costs from diverting sewage sludge to landfills (which already face capacity constraints).

Alternative to SUPPORT

HB1443 (Lopez) which is currently on the House floor, is advancing with more workable limits on the quantity of PFAS in land applied biosolids. Negotiations are continuing with municipal wastewater facilities to establish more reasonable limits on PFAS in land applied biosolids. Please support the municipal compromise in HB1443 and oppose SB386.

For more information on biosolids legislation see this letter from the Virginia Municipal Wastewater Association.

Action Requested:

SB386 will next be heard in the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations this week. Please contact members of the committee (below) and tell them you OPPOSE SB386.

VML Contact: Mitchell Smiley, msmiley@vml.org