EPA Offers Environmental Assistance Grant for Livestock Operators
News Date June 21, 2007
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting applications from organizations for a $7.9 million grant to provide technical assistance to livestock operators, including animal feeding operations, for the prevention of water discharges and reduction of air emissions.
The grant recipient will provide livestock operations with two types of technical assistance at no cost to the operator: (1) comprehensive assessments of water and air quality environmental challenges and recommendations for strategies to mitigate these challenges; and (2) development or review of the facility's nutrient management plan. All livestock operations are eligible to receive assistance from the grant recipient.
According to EPA, there are an estimated 1.3 million farms holding livestock in the United States. Approximately 238,000 of these farms are considered animal feeding operations. These operations generate more than 500 million tons of animal waste annually and continually face the challenge of how best to manage these wastes in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts on the environment. This project will assist livestock operations by ensuring that farmers are aware of environmental impacts from their facilities and understand how best to address them. The deadline for grant applications is July 19, 2007. More information about the grant solicitation is available at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/afo. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)