STATE REGULATORY ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS: EASTERN USA

摘要

State regulation of animal agriculture is strongly influenced both by the federal government and by the public. Important issues associated with federal government programs include direct permitting of agricultural operations and compelling states to adopt stricter environmental standards through financial pressure. This form of top-down management has been costly, and many authors have argued for the devolution of environmental regulation to the states (Anderson and Hill, 1996; Kettl, 1998; Schoenbrod, 2000). Eastern states will face increasing challenges to match the demands of federal initiatives with the needs of a locally important industry. Issues associated with the public include urbanization, tourism, and outrage over specific environmental incidents. Conflicts can be expected to arise as states struggle with these issues, all of which are likely to continue in the future. For agriculture to exist in high population areas, the industry should be proactive in preventing environmental incidents and also take steps to ensure that their concerns are represented in the rule-making process. Regulations are likely to get more restrictive in the future. It will be important for the states to coordinate their approaches, at least on a regional scale, so that producers don't have such a wide variety of expectations between the different states, and between federal and state guidelines. The future of animal agriculture in the eastern U.S. will depend in large part on the ability of this industry to adjust to a changing regulatory environment.