3 Iowa Industrial Farms Get Protection Against Air Pollution Laws

[hatrack]

Washington, D.C. — Three livestock producers in Iowa are among the first in the nation to get deals with the government that will protect them from liability for air pollution. Those Iowa producers are among 2,681 nationwide, operating 6,700 farms, that have signed up for the amnesty program.

The agreement is an insurance policy of sorts for farmers. They take part in a study of farm emissions and pay from $200 to $100,000, depending on the size of their operations. The deals protect the farms from being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency and fined up to $32,500 per day for violations. They do not prevent private groups from suing farms that foul the air with ammonia, dust and other pollutants.

"What makes this deal so bad for Iowans is that these facilities should control their pollution now. This just gives them a free pass, if it goes forward," said Brent Newell, a California lawyer representing the groups that are suing to block the program.

Newell said it would be at least 2010 before the farms will be forced to install pollution controls. That's because it will take two years for the study to be completed. The EPA then has to issue new emission estimates for farms to use in deciding whether they would be in violation.

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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS03/601310382/1005

Oh, and it's not just these farms - it's going to apply to thousands of factory farm operations.

WASHINGTON - In a move opposed by environmentalists, the Bush administration will let thousands of factory-style farms escape severe penalties for fouling the air and water with animal excrement in exchange for data to help curb future pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency has signed agreements with 2,681 animal feeding operations in the egg, chicken, turkey, dairy and hog industries. They would be exempt from having to pay potential fines of up to $27,500 a day for violations either in the past or over the next four years. On Monday, the EPA said its Environmental Appeals Board had approved the first 20 of those agreements, selecting accords it thought were representative of the whole. EPA officials said those approvals set the stage for the remaining agreements to gain approval quickly.

The agreements include 10 swine-raising operations and 10 operations that raise egg-laying birds. The board said it determined that the agreements were consistent with the Clean Air Act, including its penalty provisions.

Jon Scholl, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson’s agriculture adviser, said the agreements are the most efficient way of obtaining the data needed to determine whether the animal feeding operations are complying with federal air emission laws. “This is a very important step,” he said. “This really paves the way for the study process to begin.”

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Super! They're paving the way for the study process to begin! Then they can study it!

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11111912/

[Pirate Smile]

1. Well, just fucking great says this Iowa resident.