By Joy Anderson, Supervising Attorney, St. Paul Office
As a supervising attorney at MCEA, when I heard that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) was proposing new water pollution permits for Minnesota's largest feedlots I knew we needed to weigh in.
Filing a comment gives us an opportunity to stand up to the powerful agricultural industry and to tell MPCA it has the duty to protect our state's waters from contamination caused by the animal manure from these feedlots. 238 people that signed on to help bolster that message and I want to thank those that did.
Together, we’re urging MPCA to take action to limit the nitrate pollution created by these industrial-scale facilities. The health of people living in rural Minnesota should not be sacrificed to the interests of industry.
These feedlots produce massive amounts of manure, which is applied to fields as fertilizer. When manure is applied in the wrong quantities, at the wrong times, and in the wrong areas, it can leak away and pollute water with dangerous bacteria and nitrate, a substance that causes blue-baby syndrome, pregnancy problems, birth defects, and cancers.
MPCA requires these feedlots to obtain permits that prohibit their operations from polluting our water. However, the permits have not been effective, as shown by elevated nitrate levels in lakes, rivers, and drinking water aquifers around the state. This summer, MPCA proposed some changes to these permits to reduce nitrate contamination, following our petition and response from the EPA to declare a drinking water emergency.
These proposed changes include:
- Imposing restrictions on manure spreading in sensitive areas
- Requiring people who buy manure to follow permit restrictions
- And requiring people spreading manure to inspect the fields and make sure the manure isn't washing away right after it is applied.
But even these common-sense, incremental changes are opposed by industrial agriculture groups. If MPCA caves to these demands and backs away from the changes it has proposed, we will be there to defend the right of all Minnesotans to safe and clean water.
In our comment, we argued that to address nitrate pollution and comply with existing Minnesota laws, MPCA has to make these proposed changes and include additional restrictions. The comment is intended to convince MPCA that it must make its proposed changes despite industry opposition and to set the groundwork for the next steps we want MPCA to take to address nitrate pollution.
The extraordinary support we received from supporters shows MPCA that people care about this issue, and that it cannot quietly give in to the demands of the ag industry.
Once MPCA has reviewed all of the comments, it will decide what provisions to include in its new feedlots permits. We believe our comments and your support will push MPCA toward making the changes it has proposed to help address feedlot pollution.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to protecting Minnesota’s environment.