EPA Ends 20-Year Effort to Monitor Air Pollution from Factory Farms

EPA Halts Monitoring Efforts

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would discontinue its more than 20-year effort to establish methods for monitoring air pollution originating from factory farms. This decision effectively concludes the agency's intermittent attempts to regulate these facilities under the Clean Air Act.

Background on Pollution from Factory Farms

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) generate significant air pollution from animal waste. This pollution, which includes fine particulate matter, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, is emitted from ventilation systems and large lagoons of liquid effluent. Research indicates that these emissions are a major contributor to air pollution, causing approximately 12,700 deaths annually in the United States.

Regulatory History and Industry Amnesty

Under the Clean Air Act, CAFOs are technically required to obtain permits and report pollutant emissions as per the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. However, for over two decades, these operations have been granted amnesty from these requirements through an agreement between the EPA and the livestock industry. This arrangement, known as the Air Consent Agreement, originated in the early 2000s when the industry argued against prosecution due to a lack of adequate measurement methods. The EPA then granted thousands of CAFOs legal protection in exchange for their participation in an industry-funded study.