Rock & Roll Farm

Thursday! Mar 03 2005 // 6:57 pm //

Cleaning Up Factory Farms

“The Bush administration’s regulations to limit water pollution from factory farms violate the Clean Water Act and must be revised, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The court found the regulations failed to ensure that factory farms would be held accountable for discharging animal wastes into the nation’s waters.”

“The regulations require [concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)] to apply for discharge permits under the Clean Water Act every five years and develop nutrient management plans to manage and limit pollution – or otherwise demonstrate that they have no potential for discharge.”

“The Bush administration said the rules balanced environmental protection with the concerns of a competitive and economically important industry. But the court described the regulations as “arbitrary and capricious” and said the Clean Water Act “demands regulation in fact, not only in principle.”