The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it plans to update its water pollution control standards for meat production facilities for the first time in nearly 20 years following a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.
The agency on March 1
published its proposed consent decree that would resolve a lawsuit filed by environmental and conservation groups Cape Fear River Watch, Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, Waterkeeper Alliance, Humane Society of the United States, Food & Water Watch, Environment America, Comite Civico del Valle, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Those groups had argued in their
lawsuit in 2019 that the EPA failed to perform duties mandated by the
Clean Water Act (CWA) and to revise guidelines regarding the regulation of water pollution stemming from slaughterhouses and meat production facilities.
The CWA is the primary U.S. federal law governing water pollution and aims to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution in the nation’s waters to preserve their biological integrity.
Under the act, the EPA regulates wastewater discharge from meat and poultry plants into nearby lakes and streams via standards set for industries. Those standards must be reviewed each year to decide whether or not updates are needed.
New Standards Are ‘Appropriate’
However, communities near such streams have increasingly complained that the wastewater discharge from such meat plants has dirtied their environment and drinking water.The EPA said it has determined that such revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) were “appropriate,” and it is thus seeking public input on the proposed consent decree, prior to its final decision-making, for thirty days, until March 31, 2023.
Once the public comments have been considered, the EPA and the environmental groups will file the proposed consent decree with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for approval to resolve the groups’ lawsuit.
Environmental groups welcomed the move on Wednesday.
“For decades, EPA’s weak and outdated rules have given slaughterhouses a free pass to pollute America’s waterways with nitrogen, phosphorus, and other oxygen-depleting substances,” said Sarah Kula, Attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project in a
statement. “EPA’s plan to strengthen these rules is a win for downstream communities, and today’s agreement includes critical deadlines that hold EPA accountable to fixing this problem.”
Elsewhere, Alexis Andiman, an attorney at Earthjustice, said that slaughterhouses are “leading sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.”
He added that Earthjustice looks forward to working with the EPA to “ensure that the new standards adequately protect people and the environment.”
Phosphorus, Nitrogen Levels High
The agency has not revised water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses or rendering facilities since at least 2004.Approximately
95 percent of the facilities are not subject to any federal water pollution standards. Some of those facilities that are subject to federal standards have outdated standards in place, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
Wednesday’s announcement by the EPA comes after the agency vowed in 2021 to bolster water-pollution standards for meat production facilities after previously stating in 2019 that it would not revise the standards.
According to the EPA, meat and poultry products facilities discharge the highest phosphorus levels and second highest nitrogen levels of all industry categories, although
technological solutions to reduce nitrogen emissions exist.
More than 8 billion chickens, 124 million pigs, and 36 million cattle are processed each year in production facilities across the country, according to
Animal Clock.
Reuters contributed to this report.
