NPPC seeks dismissal of challenge on farm emissions reporting

The National Pork Producers Council and a coalition of livestock and farm groups recently filed a Motion for Summary Judgment asking a federal judge to reject activist challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations exempting livestock farms from filing reports on routine air emissions associated with manure storage and handling. This comes a week after NPPC successfully defended the pork industry against activist attempts in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to force permitting requirements on livestock farms under the Clean Water Act.

In a nearly 16-year battle over air emissions reporting, the latest development stems from a challenge to EPA rules established after Congress passed the Fair Agricultural Reporting Method (FARM) Act in 2018. The law, which had strong bipartisan support, exempted concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) from reporting routine manure emissions to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center under the Superfund Act (CERCLA).

Congress acted after a 2017 federal court ruling that required farmers to calculate, document, and report their farm emissions.… Continue reading