WASHINGTON - September 20 - On Tuesday, September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee is likely to consider a rider to the VA-HUD-Independent Agencies appropriations bill that would exempt factory farms from requirements to report their toxic chemical releases to local, state and federal agencies. The rider, originating with Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, may be included in the appropriations vehicle at the markup or offered as an amendment.

Giant livestock operations, sometimes confining hundreds of thousands of animals, routinely emit large quantities of hazardous chemicals such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide as animal waste decomposes. "Pollution and odors from factory farms not only make life unbearable for rural communities," said Ed Hopkins, Director of Sierra Club's Environmental Quality Program. "Scientific studies show that it threatens people's health." In addition, as ammonia falls and washes into streams, it becomes a significant source of nitrogen pollution.

Although few factory farms have estimated their chemical releases, some large animal feedlots release toxic chemicals into the air in quantities comparable to large chemical manufacturing plants. According to a US Department of Justice consent decree, Buckeye Egg Farm in Ohio had ammonia emissions of over 800 tons per year. A chemical manufacturer in Fort Mason, Iowa, where ammonia releases ranked ninth largest in the nation among manufacturers in 2002, reported releasing the same amount of ammonia.

Scientific evidence has increased showing that these factory farms pose a threat to people's health. According to a landmark 2002 study conducted by Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, "Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are recognized degradation products of animal manure and urine. Both of these gases have been measured in the general vicinity of livestock operations at concentrations of potential health concern for rural residents, under prolonged exposure."

Although laws requiring public right-to-know for toxic chemical releases have existed since the 1980s, factory farms have generally not complied. In November 2003, a court decision in Kentucky held that Tyson Foods had failed to comply with chemical reporting laws. That decision, which is on appeal, has spurred livestock industry efforts to escape from chemical reporting requirements.

"Congress should not use must-pass agency funding bills to create a gaping loophole in the nation's chemical right-to-know laws," said Hopkins.

###