I recently attended a gathering of activists engaged in curtailing CAFOs/Feedlots and their many crimes against our common water and air. With the success of California activists at bringing health and environmental regulation to the massive feedlots in their state, many other western states not so apt to test the water or otherwise regulate are seeing an influx of the operations. Good folk are organizing and demanding federal regulators lean in given the local ‘good ol’ boys’ unwillingness to take appropriate measures.
EPA orders Simplot Cattle to change watering practice – Times-News
“Simplot’s watering system adds fecal bacteria to the Snake River,” said Edward Kowalski, Director of EPA’s Compliance and Enforcement office in Seattle, Wash, in the release.
Brian Ertz
I wonder how much of this enforcement has to do with Idaho Power. I know they are doing water quality monitoring because their dams are up for relicensing and a big concern of theirs is inputs of bacteria, nutrients and sediment.
It really doesn’t take that much money to clean up a feedlot runoff. One clear case of human death and or injury linking Simplot’s cattle practice to E. coli contamination would have a price tag much higher.
Why don’t these corporations that insist on environmental degradation learn from BP and understand they could lose millions/billions/the company by not understanding the basic tenets of corporate responsibility.
Corporate responsibility is an oxymoron.