Posted on 02/26/2015 1:59:07 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
RALEIGH — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to investigate whether lenient regulation by North Carolina’s environmental agency of industrial hog operations harmed minority neighbors.
The Waterkeeper Alliance and other groups released an EPA letter Wednesday stating that the federal agency will launch a civil rights investigation of North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The groups had asked the EPA last fall to investigate whether state officials would have been tougher on 2,000 North Carolina swine operations raising 10 million hogs if the neighbors were not black, Hispanic or American Indian.
“What they’re looking at is whether or not living in proximity to the facilities is harmful and whether or not that harm disproportionately impacts” minorities, said Marianne Engelman Lado, an attorney for the advocacy group Earthjustice, representing the complaining groups. “The community has for generations at this point, for decades, been crying for more protection from the waste.”
The EPA letter dated Feb. 20 said its decision to investigate doesn’t suggest it has found evidence backing the complaint.
“We understand that the EPA has agreed to review the complaint and will provide any information the agency needs during that process,” DENR spokesman Drew Elliot said in an emailed statement.
EPA said in a statement that its Office of Civil Rights is trying to resolve the complaint informally while it investigates the state agency.
Neighbors of industrial-scale hog farms have complained for decades that collecting manure in cesspools before spraying them onto farm fields generates unbearable smells and harms health.
EPA said it needs more information before it decides whether to investigate a second allegation — whether North Carolina’s DENR failed to enforce its regulatory or statutory requirements for swine farms.
The EPA complaint is part of a raft of efforts by environmentalists, community groups, and local governments from Washington state to Iowa and North Carolina pressuring the livestock industry to change its methods. The arguments are based on studies that increasingly show the impact phosphorous, nitrate and bacteria from fertilizer and accumulated manure have on lakes and rivers and find that air pollution related to livestock operations may be harmful to respiratory health.
The activism comes decades after hog and other livestock operators joined other types of farm producers in consolidating. For example, the hog industry had more than 200,000 farms in the early 1990s, a number that fell to about 21,600 by 2012.
I guess for the same reason they’ve adopted a mission statement of ensuring environmental justice. Whatever the hell that is.
Does this mean that there is such a thing as an environmental hate crime? Close. It is now called “environmental justice”, a concept partially developed by the Communist Party in the 1970’s/early 80’s as they shifted their attention into new areas for action and recruitment.
Holder’s DOJ has explained this concept, some issues being legitimate but for things done a hundred years ago, and for another way of control American businesses.
Methane/pollution from farms is a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed, but in a rational manner, which leaves the EPA out.
Also, many small pig farms in North Carolina are owned by blacks and possibly other minority groups. If they are not configured into EPA/DOJ actions, than you know it is just another leftwing attempt to control “big business” where Obama doesn’t have many friends other than in the Entertainment field, some banks, and in the US Chamber of Commerce (who has long abandoned the small businessmen and women).
hey epa,
How about ya check out big sugar in florida that burns their fields and pollutes my waters here.
Oh you can’t do that cause the fanjul family give lots to the dem party as well as Marco and company
Worthless bunch of boot lickers.
I guess every government agency is now purveyor of racism these days - if the end ain’t nigh, then it surely ought to be...
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