Wednesday, October 8, 2008

EPA Tries Again

EPA To Announce Rules For Penned Animals
Last updated Tuesday, October 7, 2008 12:08 AM CDT in News
By Doug Thompson The Morning News

SILOAM SPRINGS - The federal Environmental Protection agency will propose new rules for "confined animal feeding operations," something it has tried to do and had challenged in court.

"I have confidence that we have the legal authority to do this. I'm also confident we'll be sued," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water quality for the EPA. The new rules should be out this month but could arrive as late as November, he said. Grumbles spoke at a water quality conference organized by U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. Read More

Any time the EPA has attempted to make blanket rules for confined feeding operations, they have struggled mightily. Several years ago, one of their proposals to identify if you were a CAFO was if you did or did not have vegetation growing in the area year-round. Those of us that live in the more northern regions of the country know that regardless of if you have any animals in that pen, there is not going to be any vegetation growing in it during the winter months. The EPA soon realized that wouldn’t work so they went back to the drawing board. The point is, trying to make rules for these operations that are applicable and workable in every corner of the country is nearly impossible and should be left up to the states.

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