Environmental and Economic Benefit Analysis of Proposed Revisions to the NationalPollutant Discharge Elimination System Regulation and Effluent Guidelines of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

摘要

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising and updating the twoprimary regulations that ensure that manure, wastewater, and other process waters generated by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) do not impair water quality. EPA's proposed regulatory changes affect the existing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) provisions that define and establish permit requirements for CAFOs, and the existing effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for feedlots, which establish the technology-based effluent discharge standard that is applied to specified CAFOs. Both of these existing regulations were orginally promulgated in the 1970s. EPA is revising the regulations to address changes that have occurred in the animal industry sectors over the last 25 years, to clarify and improve implementation of CAFO requirements, and to improve the environmental protection achieved under these rules. This report addresses the environmental and economic benefits of several alternative regulatory scenarios, including two scenarios that EPA is proposing.