HB 3411: Environment and natural resources; requiring Department of Environmental Quality to purchase certain equipment; biosolids testing; prohibition on biosolids; rules; implementation by certain date; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated to reflect its status as the House Floor version, incorporating the Senate's co-authorship and amending the legislative title to match the floor version. The substantive policy content regarding biosolids testing, PFAS restrictions, and implementation timelines remains unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; only the document metadata and authorship attribution were modified to reflect the floor version.

TECHNICAL

Updated the header to indicate this is the 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' and added the Senate co-author (Patzkowsky) to the bill sponsor list.

Adjusted the title of the act to align with the floor version formatting, while keeping the substantive description of the law identical.

Updated the footer page numbers and tracking codes to reflect the floor version status.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the original text with a new version that significantly tightens restrictions on applying biosolids to agricultural land. The changes mandate written hazard notifications for farmers, ban biosolids application on crops grown for human consumption, and limit application frequency to once every two years. Additionally, the bill now requires the Department of Environmental Quality to propose specific advanced treatment methods for removing PFAS chemicals and sets a new effective date of November 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a general proposal for biosolid management to a stricter regulatory framework specifically targeting PFAS reduction and protecting food crops from biosolid application.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the notification requirement from providing specific test results (fertility, pH, PFAS, heavy metals) to providing a general written description of potential hazards related to biosolids.

Added a limit preventing biosolids from being applied to the same location more than once every two years.

Required the Department of Environmental Quality to propose rules for advanced treatment methods, specifically microbial and supercritical water oxidation, to remove PFAS from biosolids.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a strict prohibition against applying biosolids to any land where crops are grown for human consumption.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from November 1, 2026, to November 1, 2026 (no change in date, but the section was reorganized and the bill number updated from 16857 to 16929).

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was revised to shift the Department of Environmental Quality's responsibility from determining potential hazards to establishing potential risks for biosolids applied to farmland. A new requirement mandates that farmers receive specific test results regarding fertility, pH, PFAS, and heavy metals rather than a general description of hazards. The effective date of the act was updated to November 1, 2026, and internal tracking numbers were modified.

Scope change

The scope of disclosure requirements for biosolids was expanded to include specific chemical testing data (PFAS and heavy metals) and fertility metrics, making the information provided to farmers more detailed and science-based.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement for biosolid disclosure from a general description of 'potential hazards' to specific 'test results' including fertility, pH, PFAS, and heavy metal concentrations.

Updated the Department of Environmental Quality's duty from determining hazards to establishing risks that must be disclosed to farmers.

TIMELINE

Updated the bill's effective date to November 1, 2026, and the internal revision date to March 2, 2026.

Engrossed → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text with a new version that establishes stricter regulations on biosolids. The new version adds specific definitions for biosolids and PFAS, mandates the Department of Environmental Quality to purchase testing equipment, and requires written warnings to farmers. It also prohibits applying biosolids to crops for human consumption and limits application frequency.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general rules to include specific prohibitions on applying biosolids to crops grown for human consumption and a ban on applying biosolids to the same land more than once every other year.

DEFINITION

Added specific legal definitions for 'biosolids' and 'PFAS' to clarify what materials are regulated.

REQUIREMENT

Mandated that the Department of Environmental Quality purchase equipment to test biosolids for PFAS contamination.

Required that farmers receive written notifications detailing potential hazards and test results before biosolids are applied to their land.

Established a frequency limit prohibiting the application of biosolids to the same location more than once every other year.

ELIGIBILITY

Prohibited the application of biosolids to any land where crops are grown for human consumption.

TIMELINE

Set a deadline of January 1, 2028, for the Department of Environmental Quality to implement the new requirements.

Introduced → Engrossed · 5 edits · Mar 11, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a non-codified draft to an official engrossed version, changing its legal status and codification location. The core policy content remains largely the same, establishing rules for testing biosolids for PFAS before they are applied to land. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a ban on applying biosolids to crops grown for human consumption, which was not present in the original draft.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly prohibit the application of biosolids to land where crops intended for human consumption are grown.

TECHNICAL

The bill was updated from an 'Introduced' draft to an 'Engrossed' version, changing the codification instruction from 'noncodification' to being added as a new section in Title 27A of the Oklahoma Statutes.

REQUIREMENT

A new provision was added banning the application of biosolids to land where crops for human consumption are grown, and limiting application frequency to once every other year.

Requirements were added for the Department of Environmental Quality to purchase testing equipment and to mandate that farmers receive test results including PFAS levels before biosolids are applied.

DEFINITION

Formal definitions for 'Biosolids' and 'PFAS' were added to clarify the materials and substances covered by the new regulations.

TIMELINE

A specific implementation deadline was set, requiring the Department of Environmental Quality to begin enforcing these requirements by January 1, 2028.

Environment and natural resources; requiring Department of Environmental Quality to purchase certain equipment; biosolids testing; prohibition on biosolids; rules; implementation by certain date; effective date.

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