LANSING, MI \u2014 Michigan regulators have finalized stricter pollution controls for the state\u2019s largest livestock operations following a multi-year legal battle over how factory farms manage animal waste.<\/p>\n
In an Oct. 29 decision, Phil Roos, director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) approved the updated 2020 general permit for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, with changes aimed at reducing runoff.<\/p>\n
The decision supersedes the 2015 permit that\u2019s governed Michigan CAFOs for the past decade and reinstates provisions weakened by an administrative law judge this year.<\/p>\n
It follows a 2024 Michigan Supreme Court decision in the Michigan Farm Bureau v. EGLE case, which affirmed the agency\u2019s authority<\/a> to impose conditions beyond federal minimums provided it proves such measures are necessary to protect water quality.<\/p>\n Roos cited that legal foundation in his decision. <\/p>\n The new state rules prohibit land-applying or transferring manure to other landowners during January, February and early March when soils are typically frozen and runoff potential is higher.<\/p>\n They also require additional groundwater monitoring and site-specific requirements for farms in watersheds impaired by nutrients or bacteria.<\/p>\n The state can also require 24-hour notice before manure is land-applied on fields designated as high risk for runoff or nutrient leaching.<\/p>\n Roos wrote that the new limits were \u201cnecessary\u201d to achieve water-quality standards and comply with applicable laws. He said a January administrative ruling that weakened winter restrictions was based \u201cnot on science \u2026 but rather on convenience to farmers.\u201d <\/p>\n The director concluded that Michigan\u2019s environmental law \u201cdoes not allow balancing of CAFO operator convenience against the need to protect the waters of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n The department referred requests for comment to Roos\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n The decision allows EGLE to begin enforcing the updated 2020 permit, replacing a ten-year-old version that had been extended while the case moved through state courts.<\/p>\n Environmental advocates hailed the outcome as a long-overdue victory for lakes and streams while agribusiness groups warned the tighter restrictions could complicate winter manure management for large farms.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s general permit was originally issued in March 2020<\/a> but had been tied up in court after industry groups led by the Michigan Farm Bureau challenged its legality<\/a>. <\/p>\n Environmental groups such as the Environmental Law & Policy Center, For Love of Water, and the Michigan Environmental Council intervened to defend stricter conditions.<\/p>\n The Michigan Farm Bureau said<\/a> it may appeal Roos\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n \u201cMichigan Farm Bureau is disappointed by the decision,\u201d said Andy Kok, farm bureau attorney. <\/p>\n \u201cOur farmers have more interest than anyone in preserving our state for the future and want their children to continue working their land sustainably, as their families have done for hundreds of years,\u201d Kok said. \u201cDirector Roos, with minimal review, chose to overrule the administrative law judge who took extensive effort and weeks of hearing of testimony and several years of study to scientifically review the permit.\u201d<\/p>\n According<\/a> to the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Michigan\u2019s 290 large permitted CAFOS generate about 62.7 million pounds of fecal waste per day \u2014 which is about 17 million pounds more than what\u2019s generated daily by the state\u2019s 10 million people.<\/p>\n According to the group\u2019s 2024 report<\/a>, Michigan CAFOs generate far more manure and waste than surrounding fields or soils can absorb. The excess phosphorus and nitrogen in that waste is primed for runoff into lakes and streams, where those nutrients degrade water quality and drive harmful algae growth.<\/p>\n Most of the state\u2019s CAFOs are in watersheds designated as impaired by bacterial contamination, the report notes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe legal and administrative challenges to this commonsense permit have wasted five years, during which CAFOs were allowed to keep polluting Michigan\u2019s waters,\u201d said senior ELPC attorney Katie Garvey. \u201cNow it\u2019s time for the CAFOs to step up, be good neighbors, and stop the endless legal wrangling.\u201d<\/p>\n In mid-October, Flow Water Advocates of Traverse City filed comments<\/a> opposing a proposed 3,450-cow expansion of the KB Dairy operation in Gratiot County, saying the case illustrates why the stronger statewide CAFO standards are needed to curb pollution from \u201cmassive livestock operations.\u201d<\/p>\n The group is urging EGLE to deny the expansion permit and hold a public hearing, citing groundwater-contamination risks in a region where residents rely on private wells for potable supply.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LANSING, MI \u2014 Michigan regulators have finalized stricter pollution controls for the state\u2019s largest livestock operations following a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-271385","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}