Another big score for agribusiness

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Farms May Be Exempted From Emission Rules.
When they say farms, we're not talking small-scale family farms, we're talking about the massive concentrated-animal-feeding-operations (CAFOs) that are eating up rural lands, especially in the Midwest.
These big factory "farms", though, do have one thing going for them: they've got outstanding lobbyists. Outstanding in the sense that they further the interests and profits of the big corporate food and farming operations, which is exactly what they are paid top dollar to do. At the same time, agribusiness also does a great job in convincing these people called "lawmakers" to enable and participate in efforts to increase their interest and profits. This latest piece of news from the EPA is another shining example of these well-honed skills.

Though many of their own scientists have reported that the emissions from factory farms pose a significant threat to those who work and live around them, the EPA recently declared that it thinks emissions reports are unnecessary and excessive. This move is pretty typical of the larger Bush administration trend of rolling back federal environmental regulations - from mountaintop removal mining regs to expanding oil leases to wildlife habitat protections - that have been designed to give industry more time and leeway to exploit natural resources.

Forcing factory farms to keep record of and submit accessible reports of their pollution is one of the few tools that rural communities and environmental advocates have to hold them accountable. The EPA and the agriculture industry are concerned that these reports will aide and encourage lawsuits by those who claim to have been harmed by the pollutants emitted in their community or workplace. What they should be concerned about is safe drinking water and clean air, not to mention the deteriorating economic and social fabric of rural communities. With the recent Westland/Hallmark scandal and the alarming number of imported food recalls, is this really an industry that needs even less regulation and accountability?