EPA throws in the towel on policing air pollution from factory farms
Critics say EPA is effectively abandoning Clean Air Act enforcement at factory farms.
Critics say EPA is effectively abandoning Clean Air Act enforcement at factory farms.
The short version
- The announcement came just days before the midterm elections and was characterized by the agency as a long-awaited reprieve for farmers, a historically important constituency for Trump and the Republican Party.
- When tens of thousands of animals are packed into one place, pollution from their waste is blown from ventilation fans or emanates from giant lagoons of liquid effluent.
- Livestock facilities emit fine particulate matter, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, all contributing to a toxic mix.
What happened
Research has shown that emissions from these operations are a major cause of air pollution, causing nearly 12,700 deaths in the United States a year. But through a deal crafted in tandem with the EPA and the livestock industry, they’ve been given amnesty from doing so for more than 20 years.
Why it matters
The arrangement goes back to the early 2000s when the agency attempted to prosecute CAFOs for exceeding limits on some of these pollutants.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.