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The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a new
final rule revising the Clean Water Act effluent limitation
guidelines, as well as new source performance standards
for meat and poultry processing facilities. These
revisions apply to existing and new slaughtering establishments
("first processors"), to facilities that further
process meat in order to produce products like sausage ("further
processors"), and to independent rendering facilities
that convert inedible by-products to items like pet foods
("renderers").
The
new rule applies to direct dischargers, not to indirect
dischargers. Most small and very small meat and poultry
plants are exempt from the new guidelines, which apply to
existing meat and poultry facilities above certain production
thresholds, and new meat facilities above a certain size.
All new poultry facilities are affected by the rule, regardless
of their production level. This is the first time
effluent guidelines affect poultry establishments.
A total of 170 facilities are affected by the regulation.
Nitrogen
limits are established by the new rule, in the case of red
meat plants, 134 pounds average monthly, and 194 pounds
maximum daily. For poultry, the figures are 103 pounds
average monthly, and 147 pounds maximum daily. For
red meat and poultry, the ammonia limits are four pounds
monthly and eight pounds daily maximum. EPA estimates
that compliance with this regulation will reduce nitrogen
discharges up to 27 million pounds a year across the United
States, ammonia by three million pounds a year, and conventional
pollutants by four million pounds a year.
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