Study Maps Factory Farm Hotspots As Federal Court Tosses Emissions Lawsuit

Roughly a quarter of the nation’s large cattle, dairy and hog farms are located in just 30 US counties, a new satellite-mapping study has found. The research also links large farms — whether in these dense hotspots or scattered elsewhere — to elevated air pollution.

The study supports concerns about the environmental impacts of factory livestock farms, which drive up air pollution levels by kicking up dust and ammonia in the massive amounts of manure onsite.  It also comes on the heels of a federal ruling last week that supported exemptions for animal feeding operations from letting state and local officials know about “dangerous” pollutants, including air emissions.

The ruling sided with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry farm groups in continuing an exemption under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, and tossed a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.

The environmental groups alleged that the EPA “acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to consider the public’s right to access information” when the agency determined animal waste air emissions no longer needed to be reported.