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 cleaning 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 has reversed the EPA's
wastewater regulation.
Sign now to tell the Trump Administration: reinstate the recent wastewater regulations on slaughterhouse and meatpacking plants NOW!The rule, planned by the last administration, would have imposed limits on over 120 different meat industry facilities in the United States. This could have been a huge victory for environmental health and public health, protecting millions of Americans from the dangerous consequences of meat industry-related pollution.
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, blocking sunlight, and depleting oxygen in the water. This in turn kills fish and threatens the health and livelihoods of 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 by these facilities has been linked to developing 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.
Luckily, a coalition of environmental and public health organizations have sued the Trump Administration's decision. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and we're waiting with baited breath to see what happens.
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! 