050127 EPA Finalizes Major Consent Agreement on Air EmissionsJanuary 21, 2005Omaha, NB - In a council release, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), working with representatives of the egg production, dairy, and poultry industries, has finalized a major consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A key part of this agreement is a two-year benchmark study of the air emissions from livestock and poultry operations across the country. Based on the findings of the study, EPA will set national air policies, identify farm emissions thresholds, and then regulate excessive levels. "National restrictions on air emissions will lower air emissions from livestock and poultry farms across the country," said NPPC President Keith Berry, a pork producer from Greencastle, Ind. According to Dave Roper, chairman of NPPC's Environment Committee and a member of the U.S. Department of Agricultureâ€(tm)s federal advisory committee on agricultural air emissions, before these policy changes can happen both farmers and regulators need to know how the air laws apply to farms of different size, design and location. Leading university scientists will conduct the EPA-approved study, using the most modern equipment and approved methods. Purdue University will manage the study, oversee quality assurance, financial accounting, and provide status reports to EPA, industry and the general public. The study will gather data relative to the thresholds of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). NPPC intends to host a series of six sign-up meetings for producers across the country in the coming weeks.
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