A dozen groups challenge EPA decision to leave slaughterhouse regulations untouched

A dozen environmental and animal rights groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision not to update regulations that limit how much pollution from slaughterhouses can flow into rivers. In October, the agency announced it would not revise federal water standards for plants that discharge their processed wastewater directly into waterways, something critics say puts rivers at risk of being overwhelmed by nitrogen, spurring algae blooms that suffocate fish as well as plant life needed to keep rivers healthy. The suit asks for judicial review of the decision to not update regulations that were last revised about 15 years ago and date back decades. “Some of EPA’s technological requirements for slaughterhouses date from the mid-1970s. Technology has changed a lot since then, and EPA needs to catch up,” said Alexis Andiman with Earthjustice, one of the attorneys for the suit. “EPA’s failure to update pollution standards for slaughterhouses is illegal—and it allows a major industry to continue cutting corners at the expense of communities and the environment.” The suit was filed on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Project, Food & Water Watch and the Humane Society of the United States, among others...MORE