(Grand Island Independent) -- As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., has concerns about the health of the livestock industry in 2009. The EPA has finalized a rule providing a full exemption for reporting air releases of hazardous substances from animal waste at farms to the federal government and a partial exemption of reporting the releases to state and local governments.
The new rule exempts all farms from reporting air releases under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The new rule requires only large animal feeding operations to report certain types of releases to local and state agencies, as directed by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Smith said that in many instances, government regulations have driven smaller operations out of business as big operations could absorb the burden of the increased costs resulting from the additional regulatory requirements. Smith said additional regulations would hurt an already struggling beef industry. The 3rd District is one of the nation’s leading cattle-producing districts.
The new rule exempts all farms from reporting air releases under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The new rule requires only large animal feeding operations to report certain types of releases to local and state agencies, as directed by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Smith said that in many instances, government regulations have driven smaller operations out of business as big operations could absorb the burden of the increased costs resulting from the additional regulatory requirements. Smith said additional regulations would hurt an already struggling beef industry. The 3rd District is one of the nation’s leading cattle-producing districts.
