LaHood sides with factory farms

March 31, 2006 in Statehouse & Capitol

I just happened to be reading Cattle Network’s Website and came across this passage:

- Superfund: H.R. 4341 is moooving along in the House of Representatives as cattlemen continue to urge support for legislation that will clarify that manure is not considered a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund regulations). This bill now has 95 co-sponsors with 14 new cosponsors signed on since last week!

They are: Reps. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Charles Boustany (R-La.), Gil Gutknect (R-Minn.), Ernest Istook (R-Okla.), Joe Schwarz (R-Mich.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Ken Calvert (R-Cal.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), Mary Bono (R-Cal.), Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), and William Jenkins (R-Tenn.).

I would imagine that there might be a few people in the 18th District who live next to one of those mega hog-farms who might disagree with the idea that manure in large quantities doesn’t contaminate or pollute the environment.

The Sierra Club is urging defeat of H.R. 4341:

America’s drinking water, rivers and lakes are at risk from giant, corporate-owned factory farms. These Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) confine thousands of animals in one facility, and produce staggering amounts of animal waste in the process (2.7 trillion pounds per year). Too often, this waste leaks into our rivers and streams, fouling our air, contaminating our drinking water and spreading disease. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hog, chicken and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.

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4 Responses to “LaHood sides with factory farms”

Ryan Johnson Says:
March 31st, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Screw those hippies. I’d much rather have bacon
Tazewell Pundit Says:
March 31st, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Mega hog farms and other factory farms aren’t the sole beneficiaries of this legislation. It also impacts the operations of the thousands of small family farmers who live in the 18th district who have animals.
leucanthemum b Says:
April 1st, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Have you seen the article on research into converting pig manure into crude oil? If this U of I project pans out, the Sierra Club can relax — no sensible farmer would let that kind of “black gold” slip into the waterways.

And Greenies calling manure a contaminant only when it comes from contained livestock is prejudicial and counterproductive. Every animal in nature produces waste, but that from the farms is controlled in… uh… quality. Veterinarians check the animals regularly to see that no disease is spread among them, unlike those in the wild. in other words, even in huge amounts, farm poo is safer than poo in the wilderness.

Plus, poo makes really good fertilizer for my gardens, runoff be hanged.

city kids. sheesh.
Tazewell Pundit Says:
April 1st, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Actually there are quite a few people out there who deal in that type of research. If you goto http://www.changingworldtech.com/ you can visit the website for Changing World Technologies where they have developed a means of turning ANYTHING made out of carbon (most things on the planet including us are made from carbon) into normal crude oil that can be made into regular gasoline for our current vehicles, and I believe its cleaner then the current fuel we use from drilling.