Evolving policies to regulate pollution from animal feeding operations |
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Authors: | Centner T J |
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Institution: | (1) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 313 Conner Hall, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA, US |
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Abstract: | Due to concentrations of animals at large facilities, animal feeding operations (AFOs) have emerged as a major potential source
of water pollution. The federal government regulates concentrated animal feeding operations under its point-source pollution
permitting regulations. A major determinant of whether an operation must apply for a permit is the number of animals at an
individual lot or facility. This paper examines federal mandatory controls and voluntary guidelines that seek to reduce contaminant
pollution from AFOs. Land treatment practices are delineated due to their importance in reducing the injurious by-products
of agricultural production. An evaluation of proposed revisions to federal regulations on confined animal feeding operations
suggests they diverge from their goal of controlling water pollution. Federal regulations focus on the size of operation and
amount of manure governed by the permitting process to the exclusion of other criteria related to the impairment of water
quality. Given the uncertainties about the amount of pollution from AFOs, lack of enforcement of existing regulations, localization
of problems, and possible alternatives for addressing the pollution, more demanding federal regulations may not form an appropriate
response. |
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Keywords: | : Animal feeding operations Nutrient pollution Phosphorus Manure Best management practices Water pollution |
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