Full Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 3 OF 25

Main Title Air quality issues and animal agriculture : a primer /
Author Copeland, Claudia.
Publisher Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress,
Year Published 2006
OCLC Number 64636728
Subjects Agriculture--Environmental aspects--United States ; Air quality--Standards--United States ; Agricultural pollution--United States
Internet Access
Description Access URL
http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RL32948
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
Checkout
Status
EJBM  S589.755.C67 2006 Headquarters Library/Washington,DC 03/15/2006
Collation 26 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
Abstract From an environmental quality standpoint, much of the public and policy interest in animal agriculture has focused on impacts on water resources, because animal waste, if not properly managed, can harm water quality through surface runoff, direct discharges, spills, and leaching into soil and groundwater. A more recent issue is the contribution of emissions from animal feeding operations (AFO), enterprises where animals are raised in confinement, to air pollution. This report provides background on the latter issue. It will be updated as warranted. AFOs can affect air quality through emissions of gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and odor. These pollutants and compounds have a number of environmental and human health effects. Agricultural operations have been treated differently from other businesses under numerous federal and state laws. Some environmental laws specifically exempt agriculture from regulatory provisions, and some are designed so that farms escape most, if not all, of the regulatory impact. The primary regulatory focus on environmental impacts has occurred under the Clean Water Act. In addition, AFOs that emit large quantities of air pollutants may be subject to Clean Air Act regulation. Some livestock operations also may be regulated under the release reporting requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-toKnow Act (EPCRA). Questions about the applicability of these laws to livestock and poultry operations have been controversial and have drawn congressional attention. Enforcement of federal environmental laws requires accurate measurement of emissions to determine whether regulated pollutants are emitted in quantities that exceed specified thresholds. Two reports by the National Research Council evaluated the current scientific knowledge base and approaches for estimating air emissions from AFOs as a guide for future management and regulatory efforts. Stakeholders may find little agreement on these issues, with the exception of agreeing on a need for research to estimate, measure, and characterize emissions, and to develop and evaluate technologies to mitigate and control emissions. In an effort to collect scientifically credible data on air emissions, in January 2005 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a plan negotiated with segments of the animal agriculture industry. Called the Air Compliance Agreement, it is intended to produce air quality monitoring data on AFO emissions, while at the same time protecting participants through a "safe harbor" from liability under certain provisions of federal environmental laws.
Notes Cover title. "Updated February 2, 2006." Includes bibliographical references.
Place Published {Washington, D.C.} :
Access Notes Also available on the Internet.
Corporate Au Added Ent Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
PUB Date Free Form {2006}
Series Title Traced CRS report for Congress ; RL32948
BIB Level m
Cataloging Source OCLC/T
OCLC Time Stamp 20060313134618
Language eng
Origin OCLC
Type CAT
OCLC Rec Leader 01048nam 2200289Ka 45020