Delmarva livestock producers exempted from reporting ammonia emissions

Farmers raising chickens on Delmarva might enjoy the omnibus spending bill passed last week. The legislation restores an exemption for farmers from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liablity Act, or CERCLA.

The law is intended for ships and factories to report hazardous substance releases to the federal government. However, in 2017 US court of appeals found animal agriculture should be included in the law, and farmers were told they would begin reporting ammonia releases this May.

A coalition of local Delmarva representatives and senators, including MD Rep. Andy Harris, DE Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Tom Carper & Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, along with VA Sen. Mark Warner worked to include a permanent exemption of agriculture producers from CERCLA reporting in last weeks omnibus spending bill.