Manure runoff rules...from The Wisconsin Association of Lakes
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 2:56 PM
Subject: Manure Management Discharge Rules press release
Last week Thursday the Assembly and Senate committees on agriculture held a public hearing on the Manure Management Discharge Rules (NR 243). These rules apply to Wisconsin’s 150 largest farms (called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs). These farms have more than 1000 animal units and are required to get a point source pollution permit under the federal Clean Water Act. Wisconsin’s CAFOs make up less than 1% of Wisconsin’s farms but produce 10% of the manure. 90% of our CAFOs currently have enough manure storage to comply with the requirements outlined in NR 243.
Over the past several springs manure runoff has contaminated rural families drinking water, killed fish (including some recently restored trout streams, and undermined the public and private investment made to keep lakes clean and healthy. NR 243 would help remedy these problems. NR 243 has taken 4 years to develop; 5 agribusiness lobby groups, three producers (including 1 CAFO), and 3 representatives from DATCP and NRCS were on the technical advisory committee to write these rules.
I have attached the testimony WAL delivered to the legislative committees with details on how manure runoff effects lakes in general, and specific examples of how manure pollution has impacted lakes and lakefront property owners. This attachment also has the talking points on the rule that the environmental community developed together.
Unfortunately, the hearing reflected agribusiness lobbying efforts. It was clear early on the committees had made up their mind to reject the rule and return it to DNR before testimony began. Agribusiness lobby groups and politics appear to be afoot.
The Senate committee voted to return the rule to DNR 5-2. The environmental community met on Friday to determine how to respond; this is a public health issue (people are drinking contaminated water). The strategy has been to call attention to the legislature’s decision with regard to these rules through press releases etc. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Clean Wisconsin, River Alliance of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and WAL have all been working closely together on this issue and are doing press work. Some groups are also doing behind the scenes negotiations to move these rules forward. The intention is to hold legislators accountable to the many constituents that have contacted them about these rules.
I have pasted a press release from WAL below my signature.
Tami Jackson
Development and Communications Director
Wisconsin Association of Lakes
One Point Place, Suite 101 / Madison, WI 53719
608-662-0923 phone
608-833-7179 fax
Are large corporation profits more valuable than clean drinking water?
Your legislature seems to think so.
Last Thursday there was a joint meeting of the State Senate and Assembly Agriculture committees to hear public testimony on Manure Management Discharge Rules (NR 243).
The Senate Agriculture Committee voted to return proposed rule (NR 243) to the DNR for unspecified modifications. Many members of the Assembly Committee didn’t even show up for the hearing, and the Senate Committee members missed five out of eight hours of public testimony before they voted. Unfortunately it appears the wants of Wisconsin’s 150 large factory farms outweigh the basic human needs of our state’s citizens.
Many Wisconsin citizens had taken the day off work and had traveled considerable distances to testify on how manure runoff had contaminated their wells and drinking water, degraded the water quality of lakes, killed fish, and undermined the dollars invested to restore and keep our water resources safe and healthy. Unfortunately they got a rude awakening as to whose concerns rank most important under our Capitol dome.
The Manure Management Discharge rules (NR 243) apply only to Wisconsin’s 150 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), those farms that have so many manure producing animals they require a discharge permit under the federal Clean Water Act. CAFOs make up less than 1% of Wisconsin’s farms, but produce more than 10% of the manure.
Farmers choose to become a CAFO. And, because they are large, they need to take responsibility for their actions and operate their businesses in a manner that does not harm their neighbors.
But Agribusiness lobby groups—many of which negotiated compromises on the proposed NR 243 as members of the DNR advisory team that drafted the rule—convinced the Agricultural committees that these few large farmers should be treated differently from other polluters. They advocated that the few bad actors that are causing people to become sick and degrading our shared resources because of poor manure management should not be “burdened” by having to take responsibility for their actions or follow rules.
We don’t believe that most farmers willfully want to make their neighbors sick, lower water quality, and hurt our fish and our lakes. But it’s happening, all over the state. People are getting sick. Fish are suffocating. Plants are choking to death in a watery haze of manure.
The many, many Wisconsin farmers who operate responsibly and are good stewards of our land should be embarrassed by and ashamed of their lobby groups and the few farmers that don’t follow good manure management practices.
Let us be clear.
When people are getting sick from their own tapwater, that is not ok.
When manure runoff makes our lakes unswimmable because of e coli and fecal coliform bacteria, that is not ok.
When manure runoff makes our nationally renowned trout streams and lakes are unfishable because all the fish are dead, that is not ok.
When manure runoff changes clear lakes into algae basins, that is not ok.
When manure runoff creates nutrient rich waters invasives like Eurasian water milfoil prefer, that is not ok.
When our elected representatives take the paid lobbyist positions more seriously than the public health of their constituents, that is not ok.
We needed these rules before another spring pockmarked by manure runoff events, sick kids, and dead fish. The legislature has let all of us down.
Subject: Manure Management Discharge Rules press release
Last week Thursday the Assembly and Senate committees on agriculture held a public hearing on the Manure Management Discharge Rules (NR 243). These rules apply to Wisconsin’s 150 largest farms (called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs). These farms have more than 1000 animal units and are required to get a point source pollution permit under the federal Clean Water Act. Wisconsin’s CAFOs make up less than 1% of Wisconsin’s farms but produce 10% of the manure. 90% of our CAFOs currently have enough manure storage to comply with the requirements outlined in NR 243.
Over the past several springs manure runoff has contaminated rural families drinking water, killed fish (including some recently restored trout streams, and undermined the public and private investment made to keep lakes clean and healthy. NR 243 would help remedy these problems. NR 243 has taken 4 years to develop; 5 agribusiness lobby groups, three producers (including 1 CAFO), and 3 representatives from DATCP and NRCS were on the technical advisory committee to write these rules.
I have attached the testimony WAL delivered to the legislative committees with details on how manure runoff effects lakes in general, and specific examples of how manure pollution has impacted lakes and lakefront property owners. This attachment also has the talking points on the rule that the environmental community developed together.
Unfortunately, the hearing reflected agribusiness lobbying efforts. It was clear early on the committees had made up their mind to reject the rule and return it to DNR before testimony began. Agribusiness lobby groups and politics appear to be afoot.
The Senate committee voted to return the rule to DNR 5-2. The environmental community met on Friday to determine how to respond; this is a public health issue (people are drinking contaminated water). The strategy has been to call attention to the legislature’s decision with regard to these rules through press releases etc. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Clean Wisconsin, River Alliance of Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and WAL have all been working closely together on this issue and are doing press work. Some groups are also doing behind the scenes negotiations to move these rules forward. The intention is to hold legislators accountable to the many constituents that have contacted them about these rules.
I have pasted a press release from WAL below my signature.
Tami Jackson
Development and Communications Director
Wisconsin Association of Lakes
One Point Place, Suite 101 / Madison, WI 53719
608-662-0923 phone
608-833-7179 fax
Are large corporation profits more valuable than clean drinking water?
Your legislature seems to think so.
Last Thursday there was a joint meeting of the State Senate and Assembly Agriculture committees to hear public testimony on Manure Management Discharge Rules (NR 243).
The Senate Agriculture Committee voted to return proposed rule (NR 243) to the DNR for unspecified modifications. Many members of the Assembly Committee didn’t even show up for the hearing, and the Senate Committee members missed five out of eight hours of public testimony before they voted. Unfortunately it appears the wants of Wisconsin’s 150 large factory farms outweigh the basic human needs of our state’s citizens.
Many Wisconsin citizens had taken the day off work and had traveled considerable distances to testify on how manure runoff had contaminated their wells and drinking water, degraded the water quality of lakes, killed fish, and undermined the dollars invested to restore and keep our water resources safe and healthy. Unfortunately they got a rude awakening as to whose concerns rank most important under our Capitol dome.
The Manure Management Discharge rules (NR 243) apply only to Wisconsin’s 150 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), those farms that have so many manure producing animals they require a discharge permit under the federal Clean Water Act. CAFOs make up less than 1% of Wisconsin’s farms, but produce more than 10% of the manure.
Farmers choose to become a CAFO. And, because they are large, they need to take responsibility for their actions and operate their businesses in a manner that does not harm their neighbors.
But Agribusiness lobby groups—many of which negotiated compromises on the proposed NR 243 as members of the DNR advisory team that drafted the rule—convinced the Agricultural committees that these few large farmers should be treated differently from other polluters. They advocated that the few bad actors that are causing people to become sick and degrading our shared resources because of poor manure management should not be “burdened” by having to take responsibility for their actions or follow rules.
We don’t believe that most farmers willfully want to make their neighbors sick, lower water quality, and hurt our fish and our lakes. But it’s happening, all over the state. People are getting sick. Fish are suffocating. Plants are choking to death in a watery haze of manure.
The many, many Wisconsin farmers who operate responsibly and are good stewards of our land should be embarrassed by and ashamed of their lobby groups and the few farmers that don’t follow good manure management practices.
Let us be clear.
When people are getting sick from their own tapwater, that is not ok.
When manure runoff makes our lakes unswimmable because of e coli and fecal coliform bacteria, that is not ok.
When manure runoff makes our nationally renowned trout streams and lakes are unfishable because all the fish are dead, that is not ok.
When manure runoff changes clear lakes into algae basins, that is not ok.
When manure runoff creates nutrient rich waters invasives like Eurasian water milfoil prefer, that is not ok.
When our elected representatives take the paid lobbyist positions more seriously than the public health of their constituents, that is not ok.
We needed these rules before another spring pockmarked by manure runoff events, sick kids, and dead fish. The legislature has let all of us down.
posted by Mark Haag at 9:11 AM
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