[log in to unmask]">Committee hears testimony on health, environmental effects September 7, 2007Senate eyes CAFOsCommittee hears testimony on health, environmental effects
By Matt Christensen(Utah) Times-News writeredited
CAFO proponents, including Olin Sims, president of the National Association of Conservation Districts, and Leonard Blackham, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said there was no need for federal regulations because most states have successful CAFO management programs in place.
Opponents, including Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson and Catharine Fitzsimmons, of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, painted a different picture. They testified CAFOs are harming the environment and called for federal regulation.
"You're talking about an enormous amount of waste generated at an industrial level," said Edmondson, who alleged CAFOs have polluted rivers in Oklahoma to the point people can no longer safely swim or fish in them. He's filed numerous lawsuits against CAFOs.
Farmers testified CAFOs boost the economy. Neighbors to CAFOs testified the operations threatened their health and livelihood.
CAFOs in Magic Valley are synonymous with dairies, though poultry and hog CAFOs are more common in the East and Midwest. Southern Idaho counties have struggled to balance the economic benefits of CAFOs with concerns that they pollute air and water.
Those same concerns were echoed by senators on the committee, who held the hearings in relation to recent debate over the Superfund, a federal program created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act to clean up hazardous waste sites. Some senators want CAFOs to be regulated under the program, which would hold CAFO owners responsible for contamination. Other lawmakers say the proposal will cripple agriculture, especially since CAFO manure would be regulated as a toxic waste under the program.
In Idaho, the Idaho Dairymen's Association is opposed to including CAFOs in Superfund. Environmental groups, including Idaho Concerned Area Residents for the Environment, support the idea.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubsribe from the CONS-CAFO-ACTIVIST list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/
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