Environmental groups on Wednesday filed a lawsuit
challenging a rule that exempts large feed operations from reporting data on
air emissions from animal waste.
Earthjustice, Waterkeeper Alliance, Sierra Club, Humane
Society of the United States, Environmental Integrity Project and the Center
for Food Safety are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over
the exemption, created in 2008 before George W. Bush left office.
The EPA rule exempts large concentrated animal feeding
operations, or CAFOs, from disclosing emissions data on ammonia and hydrogen
sulfide, defined as hazardous substances under public health, right-to-know
statutes.
The EPA, under President Barack Obama, agreed to re-evaluate
the exemption after the coalition of environmental groups in 2009 petitioned
the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia to review the rule.
The court mandated that EPA reconsider the exemption.
The lawsuit was filed because they said the EPA is taking
too long to reconsider the exemption.
