Public remark can be authorised for 60 days
19 December 2023
2 minute learn
The United States Environmental Coverage Company (EPA) lately introduced a proposed legislation that may revise wastewater discharge requirements for amenities that procedure meat and poultry merchandise. Many of those amenities are positioned close to communities with environmental justice considerations that experience our bodies of water impaired by means of nutrient air pollution. The company’s proposal would leverage the newest air pollution regulate applied sciences to chop the quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and different pollution discharged to the country’s waters by means of roughly 100 million kilos of pollution according to 12 months, bettering water high quality for downstream communities and ecosystems.
“The Biden-Harris Management is dedicated to following regulation and the most efficient to be had science to safeguard communities from air pollution,” mentioned EPA assistant administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA’s proposal to cut back water air pollution from meat and poultry processing amenities will save you hundreds of thousands of kilos of pollution from coming into our country’s waters.”
The Blank Water Act calls for EPA to revise industry-wide wastewater remedy limits—known as effluent limitation pointers or ELGs—to stay tempo with inventions in air pollution regulate expertise. The primary ELGs for amenities that procedure meat and poultry merchandise have been issued in 1974 and the final revision used to be in 2004. ELGs are according to the efficiency of demonstrated wastewater remedy applied sciences, and they’re meant to constitute the best pollutant discounts which can be economically achievable for a complete {industry}.
As EPA introduced in its September 2021 Initial Effluent Pointers Program Plan 15, the company finished an in depth learn about of amenities that procedure meat and poultry merchandise, resulting in its choice to revise the present effluent legislation for those amenities.
EPA’s proposed legislation would determine up to date technology-based air pollution limits which can be reasonably priced and achievable the use of current demonstrated applied sciences. Moreover, implementation of those ELGs comprises flexibilities to reach the established limits the use of other applied sciences or operational methods. This adaptability serves as an incentive for amenities and regulate expertise distributors to increase even lower-cost compliance choices.
The company’s proposal additionally seeks touch upon extra stringent ELGs for those amenities. EPA can be accepting public remark at the proposed legislation for 60 days upon its e-newsletter within the Federal Sign in.