Slaughterhouses
and meatpacking facilities are a huge source of
pollution in the U.S., not just from the carbon
dioxide that livestock emit, but also through toxic
wastewater. Meat production plants release
pollutants including phosphorus, nitrogen, and other
chemicals associated with cleaning the animals, floors,
and equipment. Meat facilities' wastewater also contains
feces and bacteria like E. coli.
A
Biden-era rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) was set to come into effect that would
have been a game changer for limiting pollution from
meat industry facilities in the United States.
But Trump has
yet again signaled that he would rather protect
corporate profits than the safety of our air and water.
Instead of upholding the
science-backed new rule, Trump reversed the EPA's
wastewater regulation.
Researchers
estimate that meat processing and packing facilities
release over 110 million pounds of nitrogen and
phosphorus pollution annually. That means in the past
decade alone, these vile facilities have polluted our
waters with over one billion pounds of
phosphorus. This pollution causes algal blooms,
releasing toxins, killing fish and threatening nearby
human communities.
Meat facilities often spray
this contaminated, toxin and bacteria-filled
wastewater out into fields in the surrounding
community. It seeps into the ground water, sprays the
sides of people's homes, and lingers in the air.
Drinking water contaminated with these toxins has
been linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and nervous
system damage. To make matters worse, low-income
people and people of color are disproportionately likely
to live within one mile of rivers and streams polluted
by the meat industry.
The rule would
have imposed limits on over 120 different meat industry
facilities in the United States. This could have been a
huge victory for the environment and public health,
protecting millions of Americans from the dangerous
consequences of meat industry-related
pollution.
Luckily, a coalition of
environmental and public health organizations have sued
the Trump Administration's decision. This lawsuit to
protect public health and the environment is a step in
the right direction — but we can't wait around and
hope that courts uphold the obviously beneficial EPA
rule. We must demand that the Trump
Administration itself simply reinstate the EPA's Clean
Water Act regulations NOW! Sign the petition if you
agree!
