News Release 350

STATE AGENCIES REQUEST CHANGES TO PROPOSED
EPA CONFINED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS RULE

Volume 34-350

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, AUG. 25, 2006 -- In a letter signed by the directors of the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and the University of Missouri Commercial Agriculture Extension Program, the agencies outlined ways the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could improve proposed water quality regulations affecting confined animal feeding operations.

The joint letter and supporting documents were developed in response to an EPA request for comments on draft changes they made to the current rules in response to a ruling by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. "A few areas in the proposed regulation need to be amended in order to allow states to properly and effectively protect water quality" said the letter, which was sent to EPA Thursday.

The joint comments supported EPA's objective that all animal feeding operations use nutrient management plans to define their strategy to use manure as a fertilizer for crop production. Among the concerns voiced in the letter, officials argued that EPA's definition of a nutrient management plan was too prescriptive leaving farmers and state officials insufficient flexibility to adapt to local conditions and situations.

The letter also suggests that the current July 31, 2007 deadline for implementation of the rule will not leave sufficient time to for Missouri officials to modify state rules and for farmers to modify their nutrient management plans to meet the new standards.

The letter and supporting documentation are available online at the Department of Natural Resources' Web site: www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/cafo/index.html or at the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture site: http://agebb.missouri.edu/commag/cafocomments/index.htm.

For Department of Natural Resources news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. Department of Agriculture news releases can be found at www.mda.mo.gov/NewsAndEvents/news.htm.

###