It's Been 11 Years, But EPA Still Can't Measure Livestock Air Emissions

[TBoneTX 43,006]

Carried to the ultimate, this would pit the environmentalists against the animal-rights activists.  Should animals be banned from belching/farting, or be allowed to live wild and free in that regard?

Quote

It's Been 11 Years, But EPA Still Can't Measure Livestock Air Emissions

Donnelle Eller, deller@dmreg.com
Published 7:56 a.m. CT Sept. 21, 2017

After 11 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to come up with the tools needed to measure whether large animal-feeding operations are exceeding federal air pollution standards, according to an EPA inspector general's report released this week.

That delay has left nearly 14,000 livestock facilities largely exempt from federal air emission oversight, and residents living near those facilities unprotected from harmful emissions that include ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, environmental groups say.

"It's another example that the EPA, through more than one administration, has really been afraid to take on the livestock industry," said Wally Taylor, an attorney for the Sierra Club's Iowa Chapter.

The EPA blamed the delays on problems with data collected through an industry-backed air-monitoring study and a "lack of expertise and resources" to develop the air-emission measurement methodologies, among other issues, according to the report.

"EPA needs to finish this process," said Tarah Heinzen, an attorney at Food & Water Watch, a Washington, D.C., environmental group. "Either determine it cannot issue methodologies ... or come up with methodologies ... and bring this industry into compliance with" the Clean Air Act.

It's an important issue in Iowa, a national leader in hog, egg and cattle production.

Environmental groups have been fighting for greater state and federal oversight of the concentrated feeding operations.

Residents living near large confinements and feed lots complain about odor and flies, and fear nitrates from manure applied to crops will leave farm fields and pollute their drinking water.

Story continues here:  http://www.press-citizen.com/story/money/agriculture/2017/09/21/epa-fails-develop-tools-measure-livestock-air-emissions/686256001/

 

 

Edited September 21, 2017 by TBoneTX

[Dashinka 23,196]

That delay has left nearly 14,000 livestock facilities largely exempt from federal air emission oversight, and residents living near those facilities unprotected from harmful emissions that include ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, environmental groups say.

 

That is a lot of Meeethane and CO2!

 

[TBoneTX 43,006]

At least 15 years ago, I read a small newspaper article, in which it was said that the front & rear emissions from one Norwegian moose created a greater volume of harmful atmospheric gases than that produced by a (some size of) car driving across Norway.  I wish to high heaven that I'd saved that article.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

7 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

At least 15 years ago, I read a small newspaper article, in which it was said that the front & rear emissions from one Norwegian moose created a greater volume of harmful atmospheric gases than that produced by a (some size of) car driving across Norway.  I wish to high heaven that I'd saved that article.

 

    moose farts

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

The utter humanity of people living near cows and having to smell that horrendous methane being produced by them. We should kill all cows and that would solve the problem, but then I wouldn't be able to eat my cheeseburger. 

[TBoneTX 43,006]

2 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

 moose farts

That's almost certainly it!  Gracias, si man.