Factory farms will still have to report hazardous air pollution to local and state officials, not to EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency has "exempted factory farms from a requirement to report hazardous air pollution to the federal government," writes R. Jeffery Smith of The Washington Post. The rule is one of several being pushed through in the waning days of the Bush administration despite considerable opposition.

The rule would still require confimed animal feeding operations to still report local and state authorities, but not to EPA. It expands a previous EPA exemption for wastes that are chemically identical to fossil fuels so that it covers other wastes that produce similar emissions. The original proposal did not require factory farms to report even to local authorities but many were outspoken about the need to know the source of potentially hazardous emissions that could cause respiratory problems. (Read more)