The continued regulation of soil scientist by the Commonwealth of Virginia is necessary to ensure competency in the evaluation of soil profiles. Failure to do so will have major negative impacts on the onsite wastewater industry, wetland delineations, stormwater management, structural engineering practices, water quality impact assessments and agriculture evaluations. Everyday private engineering firms, the Virginia Department of Health, and local county public works officials rely on the expertise of local soil scientist to make good land use decisions concerning public health, construction and natural resource protection. Deregulation of soil scientist would leave the public vulnerable to scams and completely unqualified individuals and would represent a complete failure of our elected leaders.

Kirk R. Sweeney, LPSS # 317, AOSE# 1028