U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) on Tuesday commended recent action by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding air emissions from animal waste.
“I was proud to lead the bipartisan legislation that delivered a permanent fix on this issue,” Sen. Fischer said, referring to related legislation she introduced last year. “Now that the EPA administrator has officially implemented this rule, farmers and ranchers will have more regulatory certainty.”
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on June 4 signed a final rule amending the emergency release notification regulations under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) to clarify that reporting of air emissions from animal waste at farms is not required under EPCRA.
“Due to unnecessary federal regulations, our ag producers in Nebraska were facing worry and frustration about calculating emissions from animal waste,” said Sen. Fischer.
The changes to emergency release reporting regulations reflect the existing relationship between EPCRA and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and provide consistency between the two environmental laws, according to the EPA.
“This action eliminates an onerous reporting requirement and allows emergency responders and farmers to focus on protecting the public and feeding the nation, not routine animal waste emissions,” Wheeler said.