Twenty-five groups have filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency asking the agency to regulate pig and dairy operations under the Clean Air Act. The petition also requests the agency make an official finding that methane emissions from animal agriculture “contribute significantly to” air pollution.
Groups Petition EPA to Regulate Methane Emissions from Pig and Dairy Operations Under Clean Air Act
EPA Announces Meeting of White House Environmental Justice Advisory Committee
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Committee will meet on March 30, 2021 to address “current and historic environmental injustices.”
Utah to Regulate Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed into law Senate Bill 130, the “Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Act,” which requires counties to adopt CAFO land use ordinances by February 1, 2022 that designate areas within the county in which CAFOs may be located, establish procedures for applying for a land use decision, and provide for costs and fees of such regulation. The law also provides criteria that counties must consider in adopting the geographic area in which CAFOs may be located.
Texas Bill Would Authorize Land and Lagoon Disposal of Milk Unfit for Human Consumption
Texas House Bill 3387 would authorize the permitting for land application of dairy waste, require promulgation of rules governing such land application, and require promulgation of rules regulating the disposal of dairy waste into a “control or retention facility, including a lagoon or playa.” “Dairy waste” is defined as “milk that is spilled, spoiled, or otherwise unfit for human consumption produced by a dairy operation” or “at a concentrated animal feeding operation.”
Cities Challenge Pennsylvania State Law Preempting Plastic Bag Bans
Philadelphia and three other Pennsylvania municipalities have filed suit against the state of Pennsylvania challenging a state-wide law preempting any local government ban on the use of single-use plastics, such as plastic bags.
Offshore Seafood Processors Request Modification to NPDES Permit
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the Freezer Longline Coalition (FLC) has requested a modification of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit to allow for seasonal discharge within one nautical mile of critical habitat for the spectacled eider. The agency is accepting comments on the request until March 31, 2021.
CEQ Rescinds Draft Guidance on NEPA Consideration of Greenhouse Gasses
The Council on Environmental Quality has announced it is rescinding its “Draft National Environmental Policy Act Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order 13990 entitled “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.”
Groups Tell FTC Smithfield Foods Misleads Consumers
A coalition of groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission arguing that Smithfield Foods misleads consumers by marketing its products as “produced in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.”
Utah Legislation Would Regulate Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Utah Senate Bill 130 would require that counties adopt CAFO land use ordinances that designate the areas within the county in which CAFOs may be located, establish procedures for applying for a land use decision, and provide for costs and fees of such regulation. The legislation also provides criteria for counties to consider in adopting the geographic area in which CAFOs may be located.
Groups Challenge Florida’s Clean Water Act Permitting Scheme under ESA
The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper, and St. Johns Riverkeeper have filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and related individuals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Florida’s application to assume jurisdiction over Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The complaint also alleges that the Fish and Wildlife Service failed to ensure no jeopardy to listed species and that the Army Corps of Engineers acted arbitrarily and capriciously.