This week, Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced legislation that would exempt animal manure and poultry litter from any Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that treats them as hazardous waste.In a "Dear Colleague" letter to other senators, Blunt and Crapo said the bill is needed because some are pushing the EPA to regulate this animal waste under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law. They argued that the law was meant only to identify and clean up toxic-waste sites.
The Senators stated that, "while naturally occurring, organic manure and poultry litter were never intended by Congress to be regulated under CERCLA. Despite this, some have worked to increase the law's reach by attempting to convince courts that livestock and poultry producers should be subject to CERCLA liability for storm water discharges associated with the use of animal manure and poultry litter as fertilizer on farmland."
"Our nation's farmers and ranchers have long been leaders in efforts to protect the land and water of rural America. It is time that we restore the original intent of Congress under CERCLA and EPCRA and give livestock and poultry producers the certainty they need in these difficult economic times."
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Posted 10/20/2011
