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IL Writes New Rules for Factory Farms, CAFO's

www.epa.gov

The Illinois Pollution Control board is in the process of drafting new rules regulating large scale factory farms often called confined animal feeding operations or CAFO’s. An environmental group thinks the current proposals could use strengthening.The pollution control board recently finished a series of meetings to collect public comment on a draft of its new rules regarding factory farms.

Stacy James is a water resources scientist with the Prairie Rivers Network.  She said the new rules, which were proposed by the Illinois EPA, are definitely better that what the state has now but need more safe guards.

"If the board looks at the science that was presented they will adopt some of our changes," James said. "If they make a political decision then they might just go with what the Illinois EPA suggested and say we're taking the middles ground."

James said her group has several concerns including that under the current proposed rules there are no restrictions on how close to streams new CAFO’s can be built. They are also concerned at rules regarding how and when manure can be spread on farm fields.
 

 

Scott Stuntz is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.