Friday, June 02, 2006
Environmentalists Gone Wild
Apparently environmentalists want animal manure treated as a hazardous substance and farms subject to the Superfund law.
Although it's not mentioned in the article I wonder if PETA types and vegetarians are at least partially behind this. If these groups can force farmers to raise fewer animals due to manure restrictions, then fewer animals "suffer" and less meat is eaten.
Of course, part of the impact of this will be to move animal production to other less regulated countries, thereby increasing the pollution in the world as a whole. Plus, the dangers of contaminated meat (Mad Cow disease, etc.) will increase. But PETA types probably think you get what you deserve if you eat meat anyway.
I wonder if a decrease in manure will cause an increase in allergies. According to the May, 2006 issue of National Geographic: "beneficial microbes in dirt and animal waste may help the immune system distinguish later in life between real threats and bogus ones."
What's next? A poop tax?
The activists – including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists – are trying to convince Congress that the nation’s farms should be treated as industrial waste sites and therefore subject to severe penalties under the federal Superfund law. Some state attorneys general, supported by trial lawyers, have filed lawsuits toward the same end.No doubt that manure is a smelly, unpleasant substance but, once again, environmentalists have gone way too far. Farming is a very risky business, financially and otherwise. Profits are hard to come by.
Why? Because, they argue, animal manure is a hazardous substance.
They are now demanding that Congress refuse to clarify that the Superfund law was never intended to apply to natural animal waste. They are claiming – falsely – that without Superfund, animal waste would be unregulated.
The fact is that manure already is heavily regulated under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and other federal and state regulations. They are claiming – falsely – that small family farms won’t be affected. The reality is that under Superfund, huge penalties can be levied against small operations and even individuals. Tens of thousands of small family farmers could be affected.
Although it's not mentioned in the article I wonder if PETA types and vegetarians are at least partially behind this. If these groups can force farmers to raise fewer animals due to manure restrictions, then fewer animals "suffer" and less meat is eaten.
Of course, part of the impact of this will be to move animal production to other less regulated countries, thereby increasing the pollution in the world as a whole. Plus, the dangers of contaminated meat (Mad Cow disease, etc.) will increase. But PETA types probably think you get what you deserve if you eat meat anyway.
I wonder if a decrease in manure will cause an increase in allergies. According to the May, 2006 issue of National Geographic: "beneficial microbes in dirt and animal waste may help the immune system distinguish later in life between real threats and bogus ones."
What's next? A poop tax?
Comments:
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DADvocate, sometimes I think that this isn't about manure, clean air, global warming etc (the eco-scare that is), this is about absolute control over our lives because they know what is better for us than we do.
# posted by 
: 4:35 AM
: 4:35 AM
I agree. If you know what's best for everyone then you have no problem with making everyone conform to your desires. Kind of a super mommy.
http://animalrights.net/
this is a good site about peta and their ilk (dont be fooled they debunk the animal rights movement at least the more extreme ones.)
this is a good site about peta and their ilk (dont be fooled they debunk the animal rights movement at least the more extreme ones.)
Mercurior- Good site. It really points out how the animal rights activists to value animal rights above human rights.
I'll say right now that this liberal can't stand PETA and how their wackiness paints my side of the aisle.
As far as animal waste, I do remember a significant problem originating from the hog farms in the Carolinas. Espcecially after Hurricane Floyd inundated a great deal of the area.
These hog farms had giant pools of manure held back by retaining walls. The problem was that during heavy rains these ponds would overflow into nearby rivers & creeks and cause some serious hazards to both humans and the natural environments. There was also some evidence that this was getting into the groundwater and possibly contaminating that.
These weren't small operations with a little bit of manure waiting to be used as fertilizer, these were giant industrial-sized lakes of filth that noone really knew what to do with.
Though I think it would not be out of the question to label some of the obscenely large manure lakes as superfund sites (as they posed immediate and present danger to human populations), I think it would be folly to hammer away at family farms that aren't really part of the problem.
But that's the rub, isn't it? Where is the line drawn? We all know that the big industrial farms have big bankrolls and can fight regulation while the family farm takes the brunt.
I actually wouldn't be surprised to see the big industrial farms behind this, as they stand the most to gain from government regulations rubbing out the independent family farms that will be the most affected (bureaucratically speaking), and they have the political muscle in their respective states to keep their own regulation and penalties at a minimum.
As far as animal waste, I do remember a significant problem originating from the hog farms in the Carolinas. Espcecially after Hurricane Floyd inundated a great deal of the area.
These hog farms had giant pools of manure held back by retaining walls. The problem was that during heavy rains these ponds would overflow into nearby rivers & creeks and cause some serious hazards to both humans and the natural environments. There was also some evidence that this was getting into the groundwater and possibly contaminating that.
These weren't small operations with a little bit of manure waiting to be used as fertilizer, these were giant industrial-sized lakes of filth that noone really knew what to do with.
Though I think it would not be out of the question to label some of the obscenely large manure lakes as superfund sites (as they posed immediate and present danger to human populations), I think it would be folly to hammer away at family farms that aren't really part of the problem.
But that's the rub, isn't it? Where is the line drawn? We all know that the big industrial farms have big bankrolls and can fight regulation while the family farm takes the brunt.
I actually wouldn't be surprised to see the big industrial farms behind this, as they stand the most to gain from government regulations rubbing out the independent family farms that will be the most affected (bureaucratically speaking), and they have the political muscle in their respective states to keep their own regulation and penalties at a minimum.
Patrick, you're not really a liberal. You just think you are. :-)
Good point about the large industrial farms. Driving out the little guy helps ensure their profits. Where I live there a lot of family farms and no industrial farms that I know of. Some of these family farms are quite large. Very little hog or chicken farming in this area, mostly beef. Chicken manure is quite nasty also.
I've read about the hog farms in the Carolinas and it does sound like a significant problem. I once read a single cow produces as much sewage as 16 people. I've never verified this but these people clain one cow equals 20-40 people. These say 17. Obviously, somebody's exagerating but we do need the manure handled properly. but Superfund site designation? That's a little much.
Good point about the large industrial farms. Driving out the little guy helps ensure their profits. Where I live there a lot of family farms and no industrial farms that I know of. Some of these family farms are quite large. Very little hog or chicken farming in this area, mostly beef. Chicken manure is quite nasty also.
I've read about the hog farms in the Carolinas and it does sound like a significant problem. I once read a single cow produces as much sewage as 16 people. I've never verified this but these people clain one cow equals 20-40 people. These say 17. Obviously, somebody's exagerating but we do need the manure handled properly. but Superfund site designation? That's a little much.
(DADvocate: strange, some liberals tell me that too...)
If environmental groups really wanted to put their money where their mouth was, they would put some of that lobbying money into opening manure collection centers that turned the manure into organic fertilizer.
That way, the family farms could keep their livestock, those animals could keep doing their business, there would be less manure to pollute, and we'd never have to smell a lot of dirty hippies again (as they could live on self-sustaining poop communes, collecting manure and making organic fertilizer that they could sell).
Everybody wins, it requires no new government regulations and no new taxes.
If environmental groups really wanted to put their money where their mouth was, they would put some of that lobbying money into opening manure collection centers that turned the manure into organic fertilizer.
That way, the family farms could keep their livestock, those animals could keep doing their business, there would be less manure to pollute, and we'd never have to smell a lot of dirty hippies again (as they could live on self-sustaining poop communes, collecting manure and making organic fertilizer that they could sell).
Everybody wins, it requires no new government regulations and no new taxes.
but if they put that manure back onto the land, it will make it grow better, and with the excess you can create methane generators, bacteria that sit and eat and make methane, which we can burn its more eco friendly than coal.
It all sounds better than more regulations, etc. which is why I actually do wonder if there isn't some ulterior motive on at least some of these groups part.
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