Hagel Cosponsors Bill to Exempt Manure from EPA Regulation

I debated whether to post this, but figured that it affects Michigan enough, so...

Hagel Cosponsors Bill to Exempt Manure from EPA Regulation

March 8th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) will join a bipartisan group of Senators today in reintroducing legislation that would exempt animal manure from being subject to regulations under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. The Superfund regulations are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This legislation would exempt animal manure from being subject to regulations under CERCLA, and ensure that Superfund regulations are not applied to animal feeding, farming and ranching operations.

“Animal manure is rich in nutrients and valuable for crop production. It is not responsible to subject producers to this burdensome regulation. This is common-sense legislation that will benefit Nebraska’s agricultural producers while maintaining the necessary environmental safeguards,” Hagel said.

There have been recent attempts, through litigation, to place farms under EPA cleanup and liability provisions, which would restrict the use of manure in agricultural operations. Manure has been used as a fertilizer by Nebraska’s agriculture producers for generations. Additionally, the agriculture industry already operates under strict federal and state guidelines regulating water, soil and air quality.

Hagel cosponsored similar legislation in the 109th Congress.