| Washington, D.C.
May 17, 2004, Sierra Club: New documents revealed
the extent of meat industry control over the Bush administration's
proposed amnesty deal for animal factory polluters. The
evidence, exposed by the Chicago
Tribune on Sunday , shows that the deal borrowed heavily
from industry proposals and that polluters had extraordinary
access to the Bush administration officials writing the
agreement.
"This is a deal of the polluters, by the polluters,
and for the polluters," said Michele Merkel of
the Environmental Integrity Project. "These new
documents show how much the Bush administration caters
to polluting industries, while rural Americans pay the
price."
Industry groups approached Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) in 2002 asking the agency to shield them
from Clean Air Act violations, the documents reveal.
Bush administration officials then corresponded in secret
with industry lobbyists to craft a deal that would exempt
factory farms from air pollution requirements. Internal
emails even show that industry lobbyists prepared power-point
presentations on the proposed deal for Bush administration
officials to deliver.
Additionally, the new documents reveal the extent of
contact between industry groups and the administration,
with monthly meetings taking place over a year-long
period. One email exchange documents an EPA official
admitting that it was a "no-no" for them to
request that the National Pork Producers association
pay for EPA's travel to a confidential meeting.
"This is another example of the Bush administration
striking deals behind closed doors," said Barclay
Rogers of the Sierra Club. "Whether it's Vice President
Cheney's Secret Energy Task Force, power companies being
allowed to draft rules on toxic mercury, or the meat
industry writing their own 'get-out-of-jail-free' card,
it's clear that this administration is putting polluters
before the public."
The American Public Health Association and the National
Academy of Sciences have stated that pollution from
massive animal factories jeopardizes public health in
rural communities across the nation. Bearing no resemblance
to the traditional family farm, these facilities pack
thousands of animals into small spaces, produce as much
waste as a small city, and spew toxic gases and other
pollutants into the air. Livestock production is the
single largest contributor of ammonia gas release in
the United States, and giant animal factories also emit
hydrogen sulfide and fine dust particles-both of which
are linked to respiratory illness-in dangerous quantities.
Industry groups who were revealed as being given special
access to the administration include: Smithfield Foods,
ConAgra foods, Seaboard Farms, Tyson Foods, Kraft Foods,
Cargill, IBP, and Premium Standard Farms. Additionally,
the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation,
United Egg Producers, National Pork Producers Council,
National Milk Producers Federation, and the U.S. Poultry
and Egg Association were also members of the industry
coalition involved in the backroom deal.
Supporting documents are available on the Sierra Club
website at: http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/cafo_papers/
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