[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63823-63826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30666]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 221 / Tuesday, November 17, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 63823]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY


Draft Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations; 
Meeting

AGENCY: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
will conduct 11 public listening sessions where interested individuals 
can ask questions and provide feedback on the draft Unified National 
Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations. This national strategy is one 
of the key actions in the Clean Water Action Plan announced by 
President Clinton in February 1998.
    The public is invited to attend the sessions and attain a better 
understanding of the draft strategy. After a brief overview of the 
draft strategy, a question and answer discussion will be held. Those 
who wish to speak at a session may either make arrangements in advance 
by calling the contact listed for the session or sign up at the 
session. Time for each speaker will be limited to allow time for all to 
be heard.
    All are encouraged to provide detailed written comments concerning 
the draft strategy. Written comments will not be accepted at the 
sessions, but addressed envelopes will be provided for mailing written 
comments. Written comments will be accepted through January 19, 1999, 
and should be mailed to Denise C. Coleman, Program Analyst, USDA 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, ATTN: AFO, P.O. Box 2890, 
Washington, DC 20013-2890, or sent via e-mail to 
[email protected].

DATES AND LOCATIONS: The meetings will be held November 16 through 
December 15 at the following locations:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Location                               Date            
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tulsa, OK................................  November 16.                 
Harrisburg, PA...........................  November 17.                 
Ontario, CA..............................  November 23.                 
Madison, WI..............................  November 30.                 
Seattle, WA..............................  December 3.                  
Des Moines, IA...........................  December 4.                  
Chattanooga, TN..........................  December 9.                  
Indianapolis, IN.........................  December 10.                 
Fort Worth, TX...........................  December 10.                 
Denver, CO...............................  December 14.                 
Annapolis, MD............................  December 15.                 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information about 
a specific meeting, contact one of the following or visit the World 
Wide Web at http://cleanwater.gov.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Location                       Contact Person              Phone                Address         
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                
Tulsa, OK..............................  Ronnie Clark, USDA-NRCS...      405-742-1204  USDA Agri-Center Bldg.,  
                                         Brad Lamb, EPA Region 6...      214-665-6683  1445 Ross Ave. (6WQ-AG), 
                                                                                        Dallas, TX 75202.       
Harrisburg, PA.........................  Janet Oertly, USDA-NRCS...      717-237-2200  1 Credit Union Place,    
                                                                                        Suite 340, Harrisburg,  
                                                                                        PA 17110-2993.          
                                         Joe Piotrowski, EPA Region      215-814-2310  1650 Arch Street,        
                                          3.                                            Philadelphia, PA 19103. 
Ontario, CA............................  Jeff Vonk, USDA-NRCS......      530-757-8215  2121-C 2nd Street, Suite 
                                                                                        102, Davis, CA 95616-   
                                                                                        5475.                   
                                         Virginia Donahue, EPA           415-744-2275  75 Hawthorne Street, San 
                                          Region 9.                                     Francisco, CA 94105.    
Madison, WI............................  Pat Leavenworth, USDA-NRCS      608-276-8732  6515 Watts Road, Suite   
                                                                                 x229   200, Madison, WI 53719- 
                                                                                        2726.                   
                                         Steve Jann, EPA Region 5..      312-886-2446  77 West Jackson Blvd.,   
                                                                                        Chicago, IL 60604-7804. 
Seattle, WA............................  Joe Roberto, EPA Region 10      206-553-1669  1200 6th Ave., Seattle,  
                                                                                        WA 98101.               
                                         Leonard Jordan, USDA-NRCS.      509-323-2900  Rock Pointe Tower II, W. 
                                                                                        316 Boone Avenue, Suite 
                                                                                        450, Spokane, WA 99201- 
                                                                                        2348.                   
Des Moines, IA.........................  Leroy Brown, USDA-NRCS....      515-284-6655  693 Federal Building, 210
                                                                                        Walnut Street, Suite    
                                                                                        693, Des Moines, IA     
                                                                                        50309-2180.             
                                         Ralph Summers, EPA Region       913-551-7418  726 Minnesota Ave.,      
                                          7.                                            Kansas City, KS 66101.  
Chattanooga, TN........................  Roosevelt Childress, EPA        404-562-9279  Atlanta Federal Center,  
                                          Region 4.                                     61 Forsyth St., SW,     
                                                                                        Atlanta, GA 30303.      
                                         James Ford, USDA-NRCS.....      617-736-5471  675 U.S. Courthouse, 801 
                                                                                        Broadway, Nashville, TN 
                                                                                        37203-3878.             
Indianapolis, IN.......................  Bob Eddleman, USDA-NRCS...      317-290-3200  6013 Lakeside Blvd.,     
                                                                                        Indianapolis, IN 46278- 
                                                                                        2933.                   

[[Page 63824]]

                                                                                                                
                                         Steve Jann, EPA Region 5..      312-886-2446  77 West Jackson Blvd.,   
                                                                                        Chicago, IL 60604.      
Fort Worth, TX.........................  Brad Lamb, EPA Region 6...      214-665-6683  1445 Ross Ave., Dallas,  
                                                                                        TX 75202.               
                                         John Burt, USDA-NRCS......      254-742-9800  W.R. Poage Building, 101 
                                                                                        South Main Street,      
                                                                                        Temple, TX 76501-7682.  
Denver, CO.............................  Mike Reed, EPA Region 8...      303-312-6132  One Denver Place, 999    
                                                                                        18th St., Denver, CO    
                                                                                        80202-2413.             
                                         Steve Black, USDA-NRCS....      313-236-2886  655 Parfet Street, Room  
                                                                                 x202   E200C, Lakewood, CO     
                                                                                        80215-5517.             
Annapolis, MD..........................  Joe Piotrowski, EPA Region      215-814-2310  1650 Arch St.,           
                                          3.                                            Philadelphia, PA 10103. 
                                         Dave Doss, USDA-NRCS......      410-757-0861  John Hanson Business     
                                                                                 x314   Center, 339 Busch's     
                                                                                        Frontage Road, Suite    
                                                                                        301, Annapolis, MD 21401-
                                                                                        5534.                   
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the past quarter century, the United 
States has made tremendous progress in cleaning up its rivers, lakes, 
and coastal waters. While pollution from factories and sewage treatment 
plants has been dramatically reduced, runoff from city streets, 
agricultural activities (including animal feeding operations), and 
other sources continues to degrade the environment and puts drinking 
water at risk.
    In February 1998, President Clinton released the Clean Water Action 
Plan (CWAP), which provides a blueprint for restoring and protecting 
water quality across the Nation. The CWAP identifies polluted runoff as 
the most important remaining source of water pollution and provides for 
a coordinated effort to reduce polluted runoff from a variety of 
sources. As part of this effort, the CWAP calls for USDA and EPA to 
develop a Unified National Strategy to minimize the water quality and 
public health impacts of animal feeding operations (AFOs).
    The draft Unified National Strategy for AFOs discusses the 
relationships between AFOs and environmental and public health, and 
establishes a national performance expectation for all AFO owners and 
operators. The strategy presents a series of actions that USDA and EPA 
will take to minimize public health impacts and improve water quality 
while complementing the long-term sustainability of livestock 
production.

Background

    AFOs are agricultural enterprises where animals are kept and raised 
in confined situations. Approximately 450,000 AFOs in the United States 
congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and 
production operations on a small land area. USDA data indicate that the 
vast majority of farms with livestock are small; about 85 percent of 
these farms have fewer than 250 animal units. About 6,600 AFOs had more 
than 1,000 animal units in 1992 and are considered to be large 
operations.
    In the past several decades, domestic and export market forces, 
technological changes, and industry adaptations have led to substantial 
changes in the animal production industry. These factors have promoted 
expansion of confined production units, with growth in both existing 
areas and new areas; integration and concentration of some of the 
industries; geographic separation of animal production and feed 
production operations; and the concentration of large quantities of 
manure and wastewater on farms and in some watersheds.
    AFOs can pose a number of risks to water quality and public health, 
mainly because of the amount of animal manure and wastewater they 
generate. Manure and wastewater from AFOs have the potential to 
contribute pollutants, such as nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus), 
sediment, pathogens, heavy metals, hormones, antibiotics, and ammonia 
to the environment. These pollutants can cause several types of water 
quality and public health impacts.
    Even though many diverse sources contribute to water pollution, 
States report that agriculture is the most widespread source of 
pollution in the Nation's surveyed rivers. In the 22 states that 
categorized impacts from specific types of agriculture, animal 
operations impact about 35,000 river miles of those miles assessed. 
While there are other potential environmental impacts associated with 
AFOs (e.g., odor, habitat loss, ground water depletion), this strategy 
focuses on addressing surface and ground water quality problems. Once 
implemented, however, this strategy will indirectly benefit other 
resources.

USDA and EPA's National Performance Expectation

    To minimize water quality and public health impacts from AFOs and 
land application of animal waste, this draft Unified National Strategy 
for AFOs establishes a national performance expectation that all AFO 
owners and operators develop and implement technically sound and 
economically feasible Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs). 
A CNMP identifies actions that will be implemented to meet clearly-
defined nutrient management goals at an agricultural operation. The 
following types of actions are contained in a CNMP:
    Feed Management--Where possible, animal diets and feed should be 
modified to reduce the amounts of nutrients in manure.
    Manure Handling and Storage--Manure needs to be handled and stored 
properly to prevent water pollution from AFOs.
    Land Application of Manure--Land application is the most common, 
and usually most desirable, method of utilizing manure because of the 
value of the nutrients and organic matter. Land application in 
accordance with the CNMP should minimize water quality and public 
health risk.
    Land Management--Tillage, crop residue management, grazing 
management, and other conservation practices should be used to minimize 
movement to surface and ground water of soil, organic materials, 
nutrients, and pathogens from lands where manure is applied.
    Record Keeping--AFO operators should keep records that indicate the 
quantity of manure produced and ultimate utilization, including where, 
when, and in what amounts nutrients were applied.
    Other Utilization Options--In vulnerable watersheds, where the 
potential for environmentally sound land application is limited, 
alternative uses of manure, such as the sale of manure to other 
farmers, composting and sale of compost to home owners,

[[Page 63825]]

and using manure for power generation, may need to be considered.
    AFO owners and operators may seek technical assistance for the 
development and implementation of CNMPs from qualified specialists. 
These specialists should assist in implementation and provide ongoing 
assistance through periodic reviews and revisions of CNMPs, as 
appropriate.

Relationship of Voluntary and Regulatory Programs

    Voluntary and regulatory programs serve complementary roles in 
providing AFO owners and operators and the animal agricultural industry 
with the assistance and certainty they need to achieve individual 
business and personal goals, and in ensuring protection of water 
quality and public health.

Voluntary Program for Most AFOs

    Voluntary programs provide an enormous opportunity to help AFO 
owners and operators and communities address water quality and public 
health concerns surrounding AFOs. For the vast majority of AFOs, 
voluntary efforts will be the principal approach to assist owners and 
operators in developing and implementing CNMPs, and in reducing water 
pollution and public health risks associated with AFOs. While CNMPs are 
not required for AFOs participating in voluntary programs, they are 
strongly encouraged as the best possible means of managing potential 
water quality and public health impacts from these operations.
    There are three types of voluntary programs to assist AFO owners 
and operators. USDA and EPA are both committed to promoting locally led 
conservation as one of the most effective ways to help AFO owners and 
operators achieve their conservation goals. Environmental education can 
bring an awareness of possible water quality problems and inform AFO 
owners and operators about practices that will address such problems. A 
variety of financial and technical assistance programs exist to provide 
AFO owners and operators advice in developing CNMPs and implementing 
solutions and to defray the costs of approved/needed structures (e.g., 
waste storage facilities for small operations) or to implement other 
practices, such as installation of conservation buffers to protect 
water quality.

Regulatory Program for Some AFOs

    Impacts from certain higher risk AFOs are addressed through 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits under 
the authority of the Clean Water Act. AFOs that meet certain specified 
criteria in the NPDES regulations are referred to as concentrated 
animal feeding operations or CAFOs.
    NPDES permits will require CAFOs to develop CNMPs and to meet other 
conditions that minimize the threat to water quality and public health 
and otherwise ensure compliance with the requirements of the Clean 
Water Act. NPDES permits will also ensure that the animal waste from 
CAFOs will be disposed of properly and require reporting on whether the 
permittee has a CNMP for land application of animal waste and whether 
it is being implemented properly. The draft strategy identifies three 
categories of CAFOs that are priorities for the regulatory program:
    Significant Manure Production--Large facilities (those with greater 
than 1,000 animal units) produce quantities of manure that are a risk 
to water quality and public health whether the facilities are well 
managed or not.
    Unacceptable Conditions--Facilities that have constructed 
conveyances that discharge animal waste to waters or have a direct 
discharge to waters that pass through the facility or come into direct 
contact with animals represent a significant risk to water quality and 
public health.
    Significant Contributors to Water Quality Impairment--A facility or 
a collection of facilities that is significantly contributing to, or is 
likely to significantly contribute to, impairment of a waterbody and 
nonattainment of a designated use is also a priority for the NPDES 
permitting program.
    The draft strategy supplements these regulatory program priorities 
with two types of incentives for some types of AFOs. Smaller CAFOs that 
meet certain conditions may exit the regulatory program at the end of 
their permit term if they correct the problem(s) that caused them to be 
covered by the regulatory program. The draft strategy also describes a 
``good faith incentive'' for some AFOs to avoid being covered by the 
regulatory program if they have and are implementing a CNMP.

Strategic Issues

    The draft Unified National Strategy for AFOs addresses seven 
strategic issues. The discussion of each strategic issue identifies 
several action items.
    Building Capacity for CNMP Development and Implementation--The 
successful implementation of this strategy depends on the availability 
of qualified specialists from either the private or public sector to 
assist in the development and implementation of CNMPs. The draft 
strategy describes actions to substantially increase AFO owners and 
operators' access to technical assistance for developing and 
implementing CNMPs.
    Accelerating Voluntary, Incentive-Based Programs--The draft 
strategy sets out a desired outcome that all AFOs will have CNMPs by 
2008. Several actions, including review and revision of USDA's practice 
standards, development of CNMP guidance, fair and equitable program 
delivery, and options for financial assistance, are directed toward 
achieving this objective.
    Implementing and Improving the Existing Regulatory Program--The 
draft strategy clarifies the applicability and the requirements of the 
existing regulatory program, identifies permitting and enforcement 
priorities, and describes EPA's plans to strengthen and improve 
existing regulations.
    Coordinated Research, Technical Innovation, Compliance Assistance, 
and Technology Transfer--USDA and EPA will establish coordinated 
research, technical innovation, technology transfer, and compliance 
assistance activities, and establish a single point information center.
    Encouraging Industry Leadership--The animal agriculture industry 
can play a key role in helping to encourage adoption of CNMPs and in 
addressing water quality problems on individual AFOs. The draft 
strategy includes possible actions that USDA and EPA may take to 
promote industry involvement.
    Data Coordination--Several kinds of data are useful in assessing 
and managing the water quality impacts of AFOs. USDA and EPA's efforts 
to coordinate on data sharing will both protect the trust relationship 
between USDA and farmers and provide regulatory authorities with 
information that is useful in protecting water quality and public 
health.
    Performance Measures and Accountability--USDA and EPA believe that 
it is critical to establish performance measures to gauge success in 
implementing this draft strategy and meeting relevant goals in each 
agency's strategic plan established under the Government Performance 
and Results Act. USDA and EPA will develop an approach for measuring 
the effectiveness of efforts to minimize the water quality and public 
health impacts of AFOs.

Next Steps

    USDA and EPA published the draft Unified National Strategy for AFOs 
in the Federal Register for public review

[[Page 63826]]

on September 21, 1998. The draft strategy is also available on the 
World Wide Web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov or http://www.epa.gov/owm/
afostrat.htm.
    USDA and EPA welcome your comments on the draft Unified National 
Strategy for AFOs. Comments are due by January 19, 1999.

    Dated: November 9, 1998.
Glenda Humiston,
Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources and the Environment, 
Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

J. Charles Fox,
Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. 98-30666 Filed 11-16-98; 8:45 am]
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