Fischer said the bill protects farmers, ranchers and livestock markets from EPA reporting requirements for animal waste emissions. She said these requirements were not intended to affect animal agriculture — but instead, the dangerous industrial pollution, chemical plant explosions and release of hazardous materials into the environment.
“These reporting requirements were designed to apply to industrial pollution and toxic chemicals, not animal waste on a farm or a ranch,” said Fischer, who added that the bill clarifies agriculture’s exemption from the requirements.
“That ensures producers in this country can continue to operate as they have been since 2008,” she said.
Fischer is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The FARM Act would:
Maintain the exemption for certain federally registered pesticides from reporting requirements within CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known also as Superfund.)
Exempt air emissions from animal waste on a farm from reporting requirements under CERCLA.
Provide agriculture producers with greater certainty by reinstating the status quo producers have been operating under since EPA’s 2008 final rule.
The Nebraska Cattlemen praised Fischer for introducing the bill.
According to the Nebraska Cattlemen, CERCLA provides for the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous waste, and Superfund sites need a long-term response to deal with serious environmental and health risks posed by industrial chemical and nuclear toxic waste dumps and oil spills.
The organization said that neither of these laws should govern farmers and ranchers.
In 2008, the EPA finalized a rule to clarify that agricultural operations were exempt from CERCLA reporting requirements.
But on April 11, 2017, the District of Columbia Circuit Court invalidated this exemption.
To read the full story, visit http://www.theindependent.com/agriculture/fischer-introduces-legislation-on-livestock-waste-emissions/article_78050576-1378-11e8-8615-83c43c9dbab4.html.