The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s request to delay air emissions reporting requirements for farms until May first.
Dairy Herd Dot Com says the ruling was issued late Thursday. EPA had requested more time to fine-tune the guidance on who must report and what must be reported.
In April of last year, the D.C. Circuit Court had ruled that farmers were required to report air emissions of “hazardous substances” that exceeded certain thresholds set by two specific environmental laws. Attorneys involved in the case say it’s likely that Congress didn’t intend for the laws to apply to farmers. Livestock groups supported the EPA request for the delay while environmental groups and animal rights activists had been pushing the court to apply the requirements to farmers. Last April, the court had overturned EPA exemptions from air emissions reporting requirements that were issued to American farmers.
The EPA asked the court for a delay in the requirements last October. Further complicating the issue is there is no scientifically accepted method for monitoring emissions requirements from livestock operations.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.