A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 20, 2000 Poultry Industry Out In The association provides valu- legislative process where able industry coordination and a p enn Ag has a strong voice for first-line defense against an agriculture, onslaught of regulations and xhe banquet helps raise a critics. Many of PennAg s pro- i ar g e portion of the Poultry grams are also educational. And c oun di’ s budget for the year, the Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assurance Program is a model for the nation. The Oak Ridge Boys have been performing for three dec - ■v-R ades, and have chart-topping ,j| hits, million-selling albums, an endless highway of personal ap- pearances, and a permanent place in the history of country music. They were well received by the poultry people in Hershey with a standing ovation on the famous ‘Elvira* song that is a trademark of the group. The group came back for an encore with “Bobby Sue”. jim Adams, event chairman JAYNE SEBRIGHT Lancaster Farming Staff EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) Farmer, landowner, and for estry groups are concerned about revisions to the Clean Water Act proposed by the En vironmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rule could affect more than 11.5 million acres of forestland and farmland in Pennsylvania. In August, the EPA proposed the new rule to revise existing regulations for administering the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) provisions of the Clean Water Act. TMDLs are defined as the maximum amount of pollution a body of water can have while still maintaining a certain level of water quality. EPA estab lished the revisions to the TMDL provisions after numer ous lawsuits were filed against the agency in the late 1980’s and 1990’5. According to farm organiza tions and forestry groups that have formed a coalition to combat the new rule, it is a very prescriptive and unnecessary remedy to fix a few minor prob lems. “We’re concerned that the EPA is overstepping its bounds,” said Brenda Sham baugh, legislative director for the Pennsylvania State Grange. “The new revisions will give the EPA jurisdiction over all land, especially agriculture land.” As part of the TMDL revi sions, agricultural and forestry operations now classified as nonpoint sources under the Clean Water Act are reclassified as point sources. Forestry, animal feeding operations, and aquatic production facilities will all be reclassified as point sources of water pollution. If these operations are classified as point sources, they may be re quired to get National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Service (NPDES) permits. In the original Clean Water Act, point sources were limited to industrial sites, which usually contain pipe sources of dis charge. These sources are re quired to obtain a prescriptive NPDES permit before opera tions begin. “The EPA is taking the au- Rory and Angie Buckwalter, Esbenshade Farms chat f hori . ty deciding wLat should with Duane Allen. be class,f,ed as pomt and non ' Bonnie Heiniman poses with Joe Bonsall. Karen and Bob Kreider, Hyline, pose with Richard Ster ban. Force At Annual Fundraising Event Back stage with the Oak Ridge Boys. From left, Joe Bonsall; John Medemblik, Wal inga; William Lee Golden; Diane and Jack Conrad, EMM Sales and Service; Duane Allen; Richard Sterban; and John Conrad, EMM Sales and Service. Public Meetings Will Address New Water Runoff Rule point sources of pollution,” said Mary Wirth, public affairs direc tor for Blue Triangle Hardwood in Everett. “Our coalition isn’t even certain that the EPA has the legal authority to do this.” “Getting the NPDES permits could cost landowners $10,000,” she said. “The permits are going to be very costly, and there are going to be delays. This new rule requires landowners to spend a lot of time and money on pro cess, not prevention.” The Pennsylvania State Grange and Blue Triangle Hardwood, which is part of Rossi American Hardwood, are two of 35 organizations that have joined the coalition to combat EPA’s new rule. The or ganizations include the Pennsyl vania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Landowners Asso ciation, Pennsylvania Livestock Association, and other private and public associations. According to Wirth, the EPA is targeting industries that are very minor contributors to pol lution. “Silviculture (forest agricul ture) ranks next to last as a water impairment source,” said Wirth. “It’s equal to only three miles of Pennsylvania’s 87,000 miles of streams.” However, Tom Henry, who is the TMDL Program Manager for Region 3 of the EPA, claims that the new revisions will only affect those companies that are significant polluters to water. “Once we determine the TMDLs for the water bodies, we will determine what operations are having significant impact on the load,” said Henry, whose region includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Vir ginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. “We have the option of pulling that particular operation into the NPDES per mitting process.” According to Henry, the EPA will only require the NPDES permits on a case by case basis. “It is a last resort approach to controlling pollutants from sivi culture,” he said. “It is not meant to be industry wide. It is all based on existing controls, Best Management Practices (BMP), and the significance of the sources.” Although Henry acknowl edges the concern of agriculture and forestry groups, he does contend that the EPA has been listening to these groups, at least at the federal level. “On May 1, the USD A and the EPA released a joint statement addressing these concerns.” In the joint statement, the two groups agree that states should take the lead in developing pol lution budgets for impaired waterways. The agreement grants the states up to 15 years to develop TMDLs for the im paired waters. It also lengthens the time period for states to de velop lists of impaired waters from two to four years. However, in the paper, the USDA does express concerns that the EPA is moving away from “traditional notions of what is a nonpoint source of pol lution and strategies for reduc ing impacts through voluntary efforts and Best Management Practices.” Both the EPA and USDA agree that voluntary and incentive-based approaches are the best way to address nonpoint sources of pollution. The paper also states that no NPDES permits will be required point sources, they may be re quired to get National Pollutant for point sources from forestry operations for five years from the final rule’s publication. The EPA agrees to work with the USDA and the public for devel oping guidelines for states to fol lowing in developing and adopting forestry BMP pro grams for water quality protec tion. “The whole purpose of the new regulations is to get water bodies to reach certain levels of quality,” said Henry. “It’s pre mature to say that all forestland and farmland would be affected by the TMDL permitting be cause we haven’t determine the TMDLs yet. We also haven’t determined whether the controls they have already voluntarily put into place resolve the prob lems.” Even if a farmer doesn’t have timberland, animal feeding op erations, or aquatic facilities, they could still be affected by the new rule. “In the revisions, the EPA also gains authority to regulate nonpoint runoff sources,” said Wirth. “‘And reclassifying for estry and animal feeding opera tions to point sources sets a precedent for the EPA to reclas sify any agriculture operation. Basically this new rule regulates (Turn to Pago A2l)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers