Written for the High Plains Journal.
Shame on me. I have known about this proposed rule by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since October and I have not really focused on it until this week. In January, the EPA issued their proposed final rule on small butcher shops around the nation and how they handle their wastewater. They hosted their 3 public listening sessions and the comment period has closed. Now we are simply waiting for the final rule to be posted. The fact that the final posting may not happen for quite some time is causing serious problems throughout the country and small, local food processing facilities are at risk.
First, let me remind you how this federal government works. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsak is parading around the country bragging about the Biden administration is “investing” in local food production. I had a chance to witness it firsthand in Omaha. Here is how they position it:
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible processors expand their processing capacity, which creates new, better and more processing options for meat and poultry producers.
What they don’t tell you is that the left hand of the Biden mafia is holding the very same local meat processors hostage over their wastewater program. Supposedly it is only targeting those butcher shops that discharge into a city municipal wastewater treatment facility but after a week of talking to folks in 6 states that are affected, it seems to be hampering all expansion, period.
Let’s take a look at some of the key highlights from the EPA’s factsheet on the proposed final rule:
Meat and Poultry Products (MPP) facilities discharge pollutants into the nation’s waters and to POTWs. Pollutants found in MPP wastewater include oil and grease, organic material, salts, ammonia, and significant quantities of the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus. The MPP category is one of the largest sources of industrial nutrient pollution in the country. Nutrient pollution is a significant environmental challenge affecting ecosystems and communities across the country.
Nutrient pollution is a significant environmental challenge affecting ecosystems and communities across the country. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in surface water can lead to a variety of problems, including eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, which have negative impacts on human health and the environment. EPA estimates that the proposed regulation would reduce pollutants discharged through wastewater from MPP facilities by approximately 100 million pounds per year.
Under the Clean Water Act, EPA publishes Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards (ELGs), which are national industry-specific wastewater regulations based on the performance of demonstrated wastewater treatment technologies.
Whoa!! Hold the trolly car. These facilities are not discharging wastewater into a body of water or a stream or river. They are discharging into the local “wastewater treatment facility” that has aplan to treat all the water that comes regardless of the source. So why are the butcher shops being held hostage from expanding or building new? I have talked to a couple shops that do not go into the local wastewater treatment system, which are clearly not included in the EPA verbiage, yet they too are being held up.
Quite honestly, I don’t even understand what is “holding up” these plants from doing anything because why do they need federal EPA permits? This clearly should be a state issue and it appears to me that the states are simply afraid to stand up to this tyranny and tell the EPA “we got this.” Right now, we seem to have an endless supply of local government officials that are afraid to tell the federal bullies to “stay inside the beltway; we will call you if we need you!”
One final note about this issue. I do not see this as simply a butcher shop issue. I see this as yet another attack on the very nutrients that sustain life. Nitrogen and phosphorus are key components of healthy living yet how many states had new restrictions placed this year on the utilization of these key elements of life?
I know my home state did.
The answer here is pretty clear: we must activate and engage the state environmental regulators on this issue. I talked to several people involved in my home state of Nebraska yet when I called the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, I was told by Director Vinton that I was the first one to call and mention the problem. All butcher shop owners are always seeking the perfect “cure.” In this case, you and local officials are the only “special recipe” needed to get this fixed so food production can continue.
Hi, Trent. Great article! I own and operate a Christian newspaper out of Grant, NE called The Nebraska Living Times, and I would love to reprint your column. Would it be possible to get reprint permission for your work? I would also be interested in interviewing you sometime for an article. Please let me know what the best way of contacting you is. My website is www.nebraskalivingtimes.com and my email is nebraskalivingtimes@ilovejesus.com. Thank you and God bless! 🙏