WASHINGTON – Last week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) notched a legal victory in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia affirming protections for cattle farmers and ranchers from onerous and unnecessary air emissions reporting requirements. NCBA, along with a coalition of other livestock and farm groups, has engaged in this litigation for years to ensure that family farmers and ranchers were not forced to file complex, overreaching reports with the federal government about emissions under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
“CERCLA and EPCRA were intended to address the worst industrial and toxic chemicals, not govern family farms and ranches. This decision affirms that family cattle producers should not have to file reports for a natural, biological process under a law meant for significant chemical contaminants,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources Kaitlynn Glover. “NCBA stepped up to protect family farms and ranches through this litigation and we are pleased that the federal district court has brought clarity to this decades-long discussion.”
CERCLA and EPCRA are laws intended to address massive, severe chemical spills and environmental contaminants. Unfortunately, these laws have been weaponized by animal rights activists seeking to target family farms and ranches. The ruling in this case upholds a reporting exemption issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 that exempted cattle producers from reporting emissions under EPCRA, an exemption that was affirmed through the 2018 Farm Bill.
