Lawyer Sanders says U.S. EPA to allow Ohio EPA to give control over control of animal wastewater from CAFOs to Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The state of Ohio has requested a change in how it administers a federal program to control water pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations. EPA has tentatively approved Ohio’s request. Representatives of Ohio and EPA will answer questions and listen to comments on its decision November 18th at a formal public hearing at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus.

The public hearing of the modification of Ohio’s regulations on controlling water pollution from CAFO will be from 7 to 9 p.m. The public comment period runs until December 16, 2008.

Under the proposed revision, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will administer only that part of the water pollution program that affects concentrated animal feeding operations and storm water runoff from construction of animal feeding operations rather than Ohio EPA. Ohio EPA would continue to issue all other wastewater discharge permits. Clean Water Act regulations allow such splitting of programs.

CAFO are industrial farms or agricultural enterprises where large numbers of animals are kept and raised in tightly confined situations. Concentrated animal feeding operations must have state-issued NPDES permits to lawfully discharge manure, litter, or process wastewater pollutants into lakes, rivers or streams.

Ohio's application and related documents are available on EPA's Web site at:http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/npdestek/odacafo.htm.

Does anyone believe that Ohio's Department of Agriculture has a potential conflict of interest here? Is the agency's mission to promote agriculture in the state of Ohio or the control of water pollution related to CAFOs? CAFO's generate huge amounts of animal wastes that may pollute surface and groundwater with microbes, growth hormones, and antibiotics from animal poo.