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FARM Act would exempt farms from emissions reporting

 

New legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would exempt farms from reporting air emissions.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Environmental Counsel Scott Yager says grassroots support from ag groups was critical in securing support from both sides of the aisle for the Fair Agricultural Reporting Method (FARM) Act.  “The FARM Act exempts agriculture from having to report poop smells to the government under the superfund law.”

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the superfund law, is used mostly to clean hazardous waste sites, but also includes a mandatory federal emissions reporting component.

A federal court has delayed the rule until May 1st which will require emissions reporting of more than 100 pounds a day of ammonia or hydrogen sulfide.

The measure is supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation.

The bipartisan group of cosponsors includes Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), among others.