Federal EPA Trading Fines on CAFO’s for Research
The Bush administration will exempt thousands of farms that raise poultry, cattle and hogs from heavy fines for fouling the air and water with animal excrement in exchange for data to help curb future pollution.
The premise is OK. We don’t know how bad the air pollution caused by these stinky farms is, we need data, so the EPA is exempting farms in exchange for an air pollution data collection program. After 4 years the poop fine is reinstated:
The agency said its consent agreements with the animal feeding operations would cover more than 6,700 farms in 42 states. The participating farms range from relatively small dairy operations with perhaps five dozen cows to large hog and dairy operations with tens of thousands of animals.
Pollutants to be monitored include soot and volatile organic compounds, as required by the Clean Air Act, and ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, as required by Superfund’s emergency reporting provision.
By signing on, the farms agree to abide by clean air, hazardous waste and emergency reporting laws after the data are collected. They would pay $2,500 into an E.P.A. fund and agree to let agency-approved contractors monitor the air. The fund would pay for two years of air monitoring at 28 to 30 farms nationwide at a cost of up to $500,000 each.
Here is EPA’s list of the first 20 of the 2,681 agreements it has signed. Three of them are located in Indiana.
So fifteen percent of the first twenty farms exempted by EPA under this program are located in Indiana. If the percentage holds true, and if the NY Times analysis is correct, this means that 15% of the 2,681 agreements already signed, or 402 Indiana farms “that raise poultry, cattle and hogs [will be exempt] from heavy fines for fouling the air and water with animal excrement in exchange for data to help curb future pollution” under this EPA program. The Times story also has indicates that EPA ultimately plans for the program to cover 6,700 farms.
Here is a link to the 41-page agreement, which the ILB has not yet reviewed.
February 5th, 2006 06:03
[...] Marshall County is considering passage of changes in its zoning code to address issues related to CAFO’s: A draft of the new language in a proposed amendment discussed Thursday night included requiring an odor control plan to minimize impact on the area, information regarding noise production and hours of operation, traffic generation, a general site plan layout relating to surroundings, local water quality assurance and data showing roads are designed in that area to handle traffic from the operation. Link (South Bend Tribune)But those opposed to the opening of an 8,000 head pig farm in Marshall County complain that the proposed regulations are meaningless because they contain no specific standards. Those opposed to local regulations are unhappy with the proposed regulation because they doubt that local officials have sufficient knowledge to determine the issues involved. Plus, they point out, IDEM is already regulating CAFO’s: Plan Commission members then questioned why they should not rely upon IDEM, and asked if Ralph Booker, county plan director and zoning administrator, would then need to become an expert in all matters relating to confined animal feeding operations because Booker is an inspector for Marshall County.Farmer Dennis Thornton referred to the public hearing held a week prior to Thursday’s. He reminded everyone that IDEM has 14 inspectors overseeing some 2,200 large animal feeding operations statewide.Of course, this position makes me wonder what Tom Easterly, IDEM’s commissioner, meant when he told pig farmers earlier this week that IDEM was suspending enforcement of confined feeding operation permits until the feds clear up issues surrounding the rules, which is not set to occur until the research project is wrapped up, about three years from now. What he actually meant by that comment still needs clarification. If IDEM is truly going to step aside from its enforcement role on CAFO’s, the reliance by local officials on IDEM is questionable: Officials in Randolph County have decided not to adopt any local zoning ordinances to regulate the feeding operations. “We’re just going to let the state take care of it,” said Randolph County Commissioner Ron Chalfant, a farmer. “A number of farmers said they were just overburdened now with state regulations. If the county adds to those, it makes it difficult to entice livestock entities.” Link (Indiana Ag Connection)Even when IDEM is enforcing the state’s environmental laws, there are plenty of reasons to question its effectiveness, as noted by Tom Neltner of the Indiana.Sierra Club: Based on this analysis, it is clear that IDEM fell far short of its claims. Instead of resolving 90 cases that were more than two years old, the new administration resolved only 27 cases, including one case “resolved” by a dismissal without explanation. Instead of resolving 90 cases between March 1, 2005, and June 6, 2005, only 66 cases were resolved and 8 of these cases were “resolved” when IDEM unilaterally dismissed the enforcement action.Link. [...]