In what some claim is a larger campaign to drive Americans out of rural areas and centralize access to food, the Biden administration is rolling out a draconian and needless new wastewater rule that could put small and mid-size food processing facilities out of business.
A large group of United States senators and representatives are demanding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw a new meat and poultry wastewater proposal, which they claim “stands to hamper rural economies and drive small- and mid-sized processing facilities out of business.”
“The EPA on January 24, 2024 published its proposed changes to the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELGs) for Meat and Poultry Products (MPPs). The guidelines apply to wastewater discharged by meat and poultry processors and renderers, as defined in a Clean Water Act program,” the senators reveal in a statement.
“The proposed rule exposes hundreds of operators to a new regulatory regime with significant costs and a disregard of the ramifications on stakeholders … We are concerned the number of potential closures is likely much higher than estimated, and we believe it is irresponsible for EPA to propose regulations that will arbitrarily close plants and eliminate jobs from the rural economy,” they write.