Sludge Fertilizer Company Seeks Legal Shield for ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Its Product
December 06, 2024 | Source: Washington Examiner | by Elaine Mallon
Synagro, a waste recycling company owned by Goldman Sachs, is lobbying Congress to shield the sludge manufacturer from being subjected to lawsuits over synthetic chemicals contaminating farmlands.
In 2022, the company created the Coalition of Recyclers of Residual Organics by Practitioners of Sustainability to lobby its interests to Congress. Leading the nonprofit group is Synagro CEO Bob Preston. Since its creation, the organization has spent $220,000 on federal lobbying, according to disclosure forms.
Lobbyists for Synagro argue that the company should not be held liable for the PFAS contamination in the sludge that it sold since it wasn’t the one who made it. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used synthetic chemicals that are dangerous to humans, animals, and the environment.
Sludge is created by filtering out water from sewage, which is then sold as inexpensive fertilizer.
Synagro has faced several lawsuits over its PFAS-laced sludge, which has contaminated residential areas and farmlands. Ranchers in Johnson County, Texas, filed a lawsuit this year against the waste recycling company for damages caused by a neighboring farm’s use of sludge fertilizer. County investigators discovered that 32 types of PFAS were in the ranchers’ soil and water.