NASDA Testifies on Environmental Issues Facing Agriculture
News Date September 17, 2007
NASDA testified at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on September 6 which examined concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and environmental issues facing agriculture. Utah Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham testified on behalf of NASDA. He also chairs NASDA's Natural Resource and Pesticide Management Committee.
Blackham's testimony outlined the role state departments of agriculture play in environmental protection and issues related to animal feeding operations. He noted that state-led initiatives and farm bill conservation programs have provided numerous opportunities for environmental quality protection. Blackham emphasized that the key to protecting the environment and U.S. livestock economies is to "provide states with the flexibility and resources to meet legal and programmatic responsibilities." He said that programs for managing animal nutrients are most appropriately implemented at the state and local level.
Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) expressed her concerns about "significant environmental and public health issues that stem from CAFOs." She said "these industrialized animal production facilities impact water and air quality, emitting more waste than large industrial operations." Boxer also stated her strong opposition to legislation that would exempt CAFOs and other agricultural operations from regulation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. NASDA and other agricultural organizations are supporting the legislation and strongly believe that Superfund laws were never intended to regulate manure and farm operations. Several farm state senators, including ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.), expressed concern that subjecting farms to Superfund would create litigation gridlock and unnecessarily expose virtually every farm operation in the country to liabilities and penalties.
Other witnesses who testified at the hearing included the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A copy of NASDA's testimony is posted on NASDA's website. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)