010408 EPA Feedlot Rules Under Review

Washington - The Bush administration will address the concerns of farm interests before making final some rules that the Clinton administration proposed to control runoff from feedlots, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said.

``Ultimately, there will be some regulation that comes out with a balance that recognizes the important role that agriculture plays,'' Veneman said.

The rules, which were proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency last December, would expand the number of cattle feedlots and hog farms that would have to get pollution permits and impose new pollution controls on large poultry operations.

EPA, which developed the rules in consultation with the Agriculture Department, said at the time that large farms were ``among the greatest threats to our nation's waters.''

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation's largest farm group, called the regulations unwarranted and said the government should instead use voluntary, incentive-based programs to control runoff. Environmentalists said the EPA didn't go far enough.

Veneman, speaking to a conference of 4-H Club members and leaders, said the government should take a cooperative approach, working with scientists and interest groups, in forming environmental regulations.

``We will certainly be looking at ways that we can make environmental regulation something that is workable with agriculture,'' she said.

EPA last week extended the public comment period on the regulations for 75 days to July 30.

``Agricultural waste is still a source of water pollution in this country,'' said EPA spokeswoman Robin Woods. ``We're taking a good look at the best approach to resolve this as quickly as possible ... using the voluntary and regulatory approaches.''

The regulations would expand controls to some feedlots now exempted from state pollution controls, so that virtually all large livestock operations will have to acquire pollution permits. There also would be new restrictions on discharge of waste from storage pits and lagoons and limits on the amount of manure that can be spread on land owned by livestock operations.

Corporate owners of livestock or poultry would be held responsible for proper waste disposal.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com