The latest lawsuit filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency comes from a coalition of environmental, animal rights and citizen action groups who contend the federal government has failed to address air pollution from large-scale livestock farms.
Seven environmental groups field suit in the District of Columbia, demanding the EPA respond within 90 days. The suit also want the agency to identify feedlots as sources of pollution under the Clean Air Act and to set air quality standards for new facilities and also set health-based standards for ammonia.
The lawsuit also claims the EPA has not responded to petitions filed in 2009 and again in 2011 by the Environmental Integrity Project and the Humane Society of the United States. The groups maintain ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other manure-generated contaminants from cattle and hog feedlots make people sick.
“In the last 15 years our enjoyment of the outdoors have been severely degraded due to toxic emissions from the numerous large-scale hog factories that now surround our home,” charged Rosie Partridge. She is a member of the Iowa citizens group and her home is surrounded by more than 30,000 hogs. “We are nauseated at times from this choking smell of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia as well as the odor of decaying animals.”
The lawsuits were also filed by citizen groups such as Clean Wisconsin, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and the California-based Association of Irritated Residents.