Forty-six U.S.House members, Democrats and Republicans alike, signed a letter this week to the EPA asking it not to force America’s farmers to report air emissions on manure.
You know….cow and horse poop or chicken litter. The kind of stuff that covers your boots when you walk through a barnyard or feed lot.
Yes, the Environmental Protection Agency is considering such a requirement, but led by Republican Rep. Nick Langworth and Democratic Rep. Jim Costa, 44 others urged the EPA to make an exception.
“Mandating producers report air emissions from manure hinders EPA’s ability to address genuine emergency releases,” wrote the members of the House. No Oklahomans signed the letter.
When he was President, Donald Trump exempted animal manure from an environmental statute that required reports on chemical releases. Environmental groups have urged the EPA to revoke Trump’s exemption claiming the pollution from animal waste is making people sick in rural communities.
The 46 members of the House contend revoking the exemption and reinstating the rule is not worth it.
“This imposition results in extensive paperwork backlogs, diverting resources away fromaddressing actual emergencies. Furthermore, local and state emergency response authorities have also expressedthat receiving manure air emission reports is of no particular value.”
They also called it an “unnecessary and unjustifiable burden” on ag producers.
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