The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Jan. 11 announced plans to establish stricter confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) and stormwater regulations in the next two years. EPA said the new rulemakings were precipitated by efforts to further protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but will be national in scope. For CAFOs, EPA said it will propose in 2012 and take final action by late 2013 on regulations that will consider "expanding the universe" of CAFOs to encompass more farms and ranches, while implementing stricter permitting standards on the land application of manure. While some of the regulations will be specific to animal feeding operations affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed, EPA said the proposal will affect CAFOs nationwide by streamlining the process by which an operation can be designated as a CAFO. In addition, EPA said it would consider applying new rules to manure transported off-site to strengthen manure management and reduce total maximum daily nutrient loading.
In addition, EPA said it intends to propose a national rulemaking -- to be finalized by November 2012 -- to tighten stormwater regulations that apply to newly developed and redeveloped sites, and will consider even tighter requirements in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Among other things, the agency said it would consider more extensively redefining municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), establish more stringent stormwater-retention requirements for newly developed and redeveloped sites, and applying these requirements to smaller sites than occurs currently.
States that adopt programs that achieve the same EPA standard will not be subject to the new rules.