EPA Inspections of Idaho CAFOs

 EPA Inspections of Idaho CAFOs

I’m KayDee Gilkey with today’s Open Range.

In March The Environmental Protection Agency did inspections in Idaho at many beef feedlots and dairies that are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation or CAFOs.

Several teams from EPA traveled around the state looking for operations that discharging. These inspections may have been prompted by the fact that last summer a new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit replaced the old Idaho general permit.

Although EPA was concerned that not many operations had filed the new permit, Idaho Cattle Association Executive Vice President Wyatt Prescott explains

Prescott: “There wasn’t many producers who refiled that NDPS permit, quite frankly because through all of the work we have done with the Environmental Control Act over the years we’ve gotten the feedlots cleaned up to where they are not discharging into waters of the U.S. so they felt like they didn’t need a permit to discharge. The EPA felt like maybe there should have been more of them getting permits with them. So last week they did inspections but they didn’t find one and I think that is a testament to the work that producers are doing to try and make they are sound stewards of the environment. ”

That is good news for Idaho feedlots and dairies that were reviewed. Prescott adds for those feedlots or dairies that were not yet visited within the state.

Prescott: “I think that this next month or so is kind of open for EPA to come in and do some field work and field inspections trying to identify facilities that should have that NPDES permit -- so a way of heads up there.”