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Committee reviews bill clarifying ANR, Agency of Agriculture roles after EPA concerns
Summary
A legislative committee reviewed a miscellaneous agriculture bill that clarifies the respective roles of the Agency of Natural Resources and the Agency of Agriculture in farm water-quality regulation after an EPA petition raised concerns about state implementation of federal CAFO permitting.
A legislative committee reviewed a miscellaneous agriculture bill designed to clarify how the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and the Agency of Agriculture will share responsibilities for farm water-quality regulation, committee counsel Michael O'Grady said during a Feb. 28 meeting.
The bill responds to concerns raised to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — including a petition from the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) — that ANR was not adequately implementing federal Clean Water Act permitting for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The measure keeps separate state programs but directs ANR to lead implementation of federal CAFO (NPDES) permitting while the Agency of Agriculture continues to administer the state's agricultural water-quality program for nonpoint-source runoff and farmer-facing services.
Michael O'Grady, committee counsel, said the legislation replaces a memorandum-of-understanding framework with a written document that will set each agency's role and require them to “continue to cooperate” as ANR implements federal CAFO…
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