EPA Air Emissions Consent Agreement
The Environmental Protection agency has entered into an agreement with Animal Feeding Operations concerning air quality and emissions from these operations. Very briefly, they are asking CAFO’s to sign up for this program in return for exemption from fines for past or current violations of the clean air act. By signing up, a producer would pay a “penalty,” pay a fee to help fund a study of air emissions from livestock operations, make his/her operation available to participate in this study, and make any required changes to the operation if it is found to be in violation of regulations at the conclusion of the study (approx. 4 years.)
Some agricultural organizations (i.e. National Pork Producers Council) have stated that they think their members should sign up for this program. Other organizations have not decided on any course of action at this time. The deadline for sign up is August 12, 2005. Many things should be considered before signing this agreement, and each producer should study the issue and perhaps consult legal counsel before making this decision. There are several web sites (see below) available that do an excellent job of looking at both sides of the issue, and producers are encouraged to study these sites.
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