Manzullo opposes manure-as-hazardous-waste proposal

Created: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 12:22 p.m. CDT

Text Size: AaAaAaAaAa

Congressman Don Manzullo (R-16) issued the following news release Tuesday:

Manzullo: EPA Plan to Classify Livestock Manure as Hazardous Waste Would Harm Illinois Farmers

Rep. cosponsors bill to stop implementation of job-killing regulation

[WASHINGTON] – Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) today said a proposed EPA rule to classify livestock manure as hazardous waste would heap new, costly regulations on Illinois farmers, making them less competitive and opening them to huge lawsuits.

Manzullo, who raised beef cattle on his Ogle County farm for 30 years, is cosponsoring the Superfund Common Sense Act (HR 2997) to prevent the EPA from adding livestock manure to the list of substances regulated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund Law). CERCLA was enacted by Congress in 1980 in response to the Love Canal environmental disaster as a way to ensure responsible parties pay for hazardous waste cleanup sites.

Prior to running for Congress, Manzullo was an attorney who represented farmers in their run-ins with the EPA and other agencies. Manzullo pointed out that the EPA already has strict procedures in place for regulating waste from large agricultural operations to protect streams and underground wells from run-off. In fact, Manzullo worked with the Illinois EPA, U.S. EPA, and Illinois Dept. of Agriculture this past year to clarify existing waste run-off regulations for northwest Illinois farmers, who were receiving conflicting information from the state and federal EPA on their responsibilities under the run-off regulations.

“It’s ridiculous to think our family farms are as dangerous as toxic waste sites, and it’s outrageous to regulate them the same way,” Manzullo said. “The EPA already stringently regulates waste runoff from livestock operations and there is absolutely no need to tighten the regulatory screws any further. Classifying livestock manure as hazardous waste under CERCLA would open our family farms up to huge legal liabilities and make them less productive and competitive. This is the last thing we should be doing when we are trying to help put Americans back to work.”