Pew Charitable Trusts
Much of the pollution in U.S. rivers and streams today comes from the manure generated by CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), which confine thousands of animals on a single site. To determine the extent of the problem and how it might be better addressed, the public and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) need to know more about these facilities and the waste they produce. But unlike many other industries, CAFOs do not regularly disclose facility-specific information to the EPA—and the powerful interests behind CAFOs want to keep it that way.
Under a recent settlement agreement, the EPA promised a regulation that would require CAFOs nationwide to report some basic facts, such as the location of the operation and number of animals housed. The EPA is now asking for public comments on a proposed rule to collect some of this data from the nation’s largest CAFOs. Having this information will vastly improve the agency’s ability to ensure that CAFOs comply with the Clean Water Act and do not contaminate our lakes and waterways.
Gathering this information is about simple transparency and protecting the environment, but industrial animal agriculture is fighting to keep CAFOs shrouded in secrecy. The industry is pressing the EPA to withdraw the proposal or limit its application. So please act now, and urge everyone you know to do the same.
Ask the EPA to finalize a rule that collects information from CAFOs across the country. We have only until Jan. 19 to get as many comments as possible.
For more information, click here.
The Animal Feeding Operations are now finding it very costly to properly handle their waste by-product. Working for GM, we too found it costly to stop polluting the environment with mercury, paint sludges, PCB’s, etal! Automobiles became more costly, but the environment was saved and the public rewarded us with increased sales at increased prices. We cannot allow this AFO industry to go on not being more closely regulated. The cost to solve this problem is FREE! Simply keep your farm on your farm.
There are solutions to this, they just have to be implemented. And they won’t be implemented unless the public voices their concerns and opinions.
Holly,
those rain barrels on your site are pretty. Down here in Columbus, we have Rain Brothers.
Since we’re on the topic of factory farming, how about exploring a vegan diet and other aspects of animal rights ?
I’m looking for input. I’m not preaching. But factory farms would go away if there were no demand for having a low price tag in our supermarkets for meat, eggs, and dairy. Thanks.