MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Bodies in Vermont may soon be buried at least 3.5 feet deep, the optimal depth for decomposition.
The Vermont House approved the bill Tuesday and will likely pass it during a final vote Wednesday, the Burlington Free Press reports. The bill is little more than a change to the previous law, which required bodies be buried at least 5 feet deep.
The so-called “green burial” law is designed to keep bodies where the soil is more active. Microbes, bugs, heat and oxygen all help decompose bodies faster at the shallower depth, advocates say.
Patrick Healy, president of the Vermont Cemetery Association is wary of the bill and wants more solid data on decomposition before supporting the measure.
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