Senate bill would exempt feedlots from reporting air pollution

Nearly two dozen senators co-sponsored a bill that would exempt an estimated 100,000 large livestock farms from reporting emissions from manure and other animal waste. Sponsors include the leaders of the Senate committee that would handle the bill. The bill would override an appellate court decision that required emissions reporting.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), a lead sponsor, said the EPA issued a rule in 2008 that removed farms from the reporting requirement, which she said was aimed at dangerous industrial pollution or factory explosions. An appeals court ruled that the so-called “Superfund law” also included agriculture.

“Routine emissions from hog manure do not constitute a ‘hazardous’ emergency that requires the Coast Guard to activate a national cleanup response,” said Ken Maschhoff, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “EPA exempted farms from (emissions) reporting because it knew responses would be unnecessary and impractical.”

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