Just a few weeks ago, a federal court ruled that manure
from factory farms and other agricultural operations must be treated and
regulated as solid waste, and that factory farmers can be held liable for
pollution from their facilities.
from factory farms and other agricultural operations must be treated and
regulated as solid waste, and that factory farmers can be held liable for
pollution from their facilities.
Now, a coalition of environmental, animal rights, and citizen
action groups has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, claiming it has failed to address serious air pollution problems created
by factory farms and other large-scale agricultural operations.
action groups has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, claiming it has failed to address serious air pollution problems created
by factory farms and other large-scale agricultural operations.
The Huffington Post reports:
The lawsuits, filed in federal
court in the District of Columbia, say the EPA has not responded to petitions
filed in 2009 and 2011 by the Environmental Integrity Project and the Humane
Society of the United States. Those petitions asked the agency to categorize
large-scale livestock farms as sources of pollution under the Clean Air Act,
set air quality standards for new and existing facilities and set health-based
standards for ammonia. …… [A]mmonia, hydrogen sulfide and
other manure-generated contaminants in livestock-heavy states such as Iowa and
North Carolina—the nation’s top two pork producers—make people sick.
It’s wonderful to see the serious environmental
repercussions of factory farming finally brought to light, but consumers hold
the greatest power to take a stand against environmental degradation and animal
cruelty by choosing animal-free foods.
repercussions of factory farming finally brought to light, but consumers hold
the greatest power to take a stand against environmental degradation and animal
cruelty by choosing animal-free foods.
