Meat+Poultry - February 2024 - 14

WASHINGTON
Industry questions
wastewater regulations
The US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) took the next step
with its revised wastewater discharge
standards for meat and poultry
facilities by publishing the other details
in the Federal Register in January.
In its summary, the agency said the
proposed rule would improve water
quality and protect human health
and the environment by reducing
the discharge of nutrients and other
pollutants onto surfaces.
The EPA added that its preferred
option is estimated to cost $232
million annually and reduce pollutant
discharges by approximately 100
million lbs per year.
For the rulemaking, the agency
will look at options for more stringent
effluent limitations on total nitrogen,
new effluent limitations on total
phosphorus, updated limitations for
other pollutants, new pretreatment
standards for indirect dischargers and
revised production thresholds for some
subcategories in the existing rule.
The new rules would also request
comment on potential effluent
limitations on chlorides for high
chloride waste streams, establishing
effluent limitations for E. coli for direct
dischargers and including conditional
limits for indirect
dischargers that
discharge to Publicly
Owned Treatment
Works (POTWs).
Comments for
the proposed rule
must be received on
or before March 25,
2024, the notice stated.
Following the Federal
The
EPA moved
forward in
Register publication, The North
American Meat Institute asked for an
extension of the comment period for
the industry stakeholders to assess
the three highly technical options
presented by the EPA.
" USDA and the White House have
poured over $1 billion in taxpayer
dollars into the expansion of meat
and poultry processing capacity
with a focus on small processors, "
said Julie Anna Potts, president and
chief executive officer of the Meat
Institute. " EPA's own analysis found
that its revisions to the guidelines
will close 16-53 facilities and place a
heavy financial burden on as many as
1,600 more. "
Under the facility closure analysis,
the EPA estimated that 16 facilities
would potentially close under its first
preferred option. Under Option 2,
EPA estimated 22 facilities would
potentially close, and under
Option 3, 53 facilities would
potentially close.
its revision of
wastewater
discharge
standards
Potts also noted that many
of these small companies
operate in rural communities
whose " Main Streets " rely
on jobs sustained by meat and
poultry processors.
" Closing these facilities makes it
difficult for those up and down the
value chain in the region, especially
livestock producers, " she said.
Potts added that small and
medium-sized companies would
face huge obstacles in finding the
expertise to purchase and operate
the systems needed to meet the
proposed guidelines.
" Our members say EPA's analysis
has grossly underestimated the costs to
comply, " she said.
On Jan. 24, the EPA held an
online-only hearing on the proposal to
hear testimony and then an in-person
hearing at the EPA headquarters on
Jan. 31.
RYAN MCCARTHY | rmccar thy@sos land.com
" Closing these facilities makes it difficult
for those up and down the value chain in
the region, especially livestock producers. "
- JULIE ANNA POTTS
14 MEAT+POULTRY | 02.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
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Meat+Poultry - February 2024

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