Development of Method for Calculating Emissions from Livestock Facilities Halted… EPA Moves to Terminate 2005 A

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it is halting development of a federal method for estimating air pollution emissions from livestock facilities and is moving to terminate a 2005 agreement with the industry, while facilities' Clean Air Act obligations remain in place. In an October 30 statement, the EPA said about 2,600 animal feeding operations (AFOs) were subject to notification, representing roughly 14,000 farms, and cited limitations in the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) data used to develop the estimation method as the reason for the decision. AFOs are facilities that raise livestock or poultry in concentrated spaces, and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are a separately classified subset, so the two terms do not cover the same scope. The EPA said past survey data do not reflect current livestock operations. The move matters because it leaves emissions estimation without a federal methodology even as Clean Air Act duties persist, and the next thing to watch is how the agency formalizes the agreement's termination and whether states or courts step in.