House OKs creation of commission to study sludge disposal

STATE HOUSE – The House today approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Terri Cortvriend establishing a special joint legislative commission to study Rhode Island’s growing biosolids disposal challenges.

The effort is aimed at facilitating the development of a comprehensive, statewide solution to what has been described as a looming concern over increasingly limited options for disposal of biosolids or sludge — the solid, semisolid or liquid waste generated from wastewater treatment plants as well as facilities that treat water supplies or control air pollution.

“The options for disposing of biosolids are becoming more limited. There are many concerns about how to safely dispose of it, the expense to public agencies and the environmental and community repercussions of various methods. It’s a serious and complicated issue that affects virtually all communities, and it calls for examination and discussion by experts and stakeholders from around our state,” said Representative Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown), who last year sponsored successful legislation to require anyone applying for a permit to spread biosolids on land as fertilizer to first test the material for PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which contaminate land and water.

Under the resolution (2026-H 7532Aaa), the 20-member commission would study and develop recommendations for strategies for managing biosolids and wastewater byproducts across the state. The commission is tasked with studying costs to ratepayers and environmental and climate impacts, and identifying potential statewide solutions and future opportunities, such as the use of pyrolysis and other processes for biosolid disposal, to make sludge management more sustainable in Rhode Island. The panel would be tasked with delivering its findings and recommendations by Jan. 5, 2027.

The impending closure of a Woonsocket incineration plant that accepts biosolids from many communities throughout the state and the Northeast is forcing many agencies to look for alternatives.

A sludge management and pyrolysis facility, which has been proposed at Quonset Business Park as a potential component of a broader solution to the state’s disposal needs, will be part of the commission’s study. Stakeholders in that proposal have agreed to participate in a public review of the project as part of the commission process.

“We hope to find a solution that ensures municipalities have access to reliable and affordable disposal options,” said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick).  “Quonset’s role in our economy is well known and we are optimistic that it can contribute to a result that addresses this problem in a constructive, environmentally sound way based on statewide public input.”

Representative Cortvriend said she intends for the commission to consider the establishment of a prescribed legal process for siting sludge management facilities, similar to the public process for siting power plants.

The joint resolution now goes to the Senate for consideration.