March 22, 2007

Environment agency wants exemption for US livestock farms
 

The Bush administration is geared towards protecting livestock farms from pollution reporting rules and potential liability for manure runoff.

The Environmental Protection Agency intends to exempt farms in reporting emissions of ammonia and other air pollutants under the federal Superfund law, said Jon Scholl, the agency's agriculture adviser. The agency also will clarify that manure should not be considered a hazardous waste when properly used as fertilizer, he said.

Scholl, who outlined the agency's plans at a livestock industry meeting Tuesday (March 20), said the agency wants to finalize its actions shortly before President George Bush leaves the office by fall 2008.

The Superfund law was enacted in 1980 to force polluters to report toxic emissions and clean up contamination they cause.

Scholl said the law is intended to have immediate response on readily identified emergencies and he believes the nature of emissions from agricultural operations is included.

The livestock industry has been unsuccessfully pushing Congress for an exemption to the reporting rule since a 2003 court ruling that Tyson Foods Inc. was required to disclose emissions from contract chicken operations.