Ten environmental and animal rights organizations sued EPA on Monday for abandoning a Biden-era plan to require stronger pollution controls at slaughterhouses, a decision that they say violates the Clean Water Act.
Slaughterhouses and meat rendering facilities are a major source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, which can degrade water quality and fuel harmful algal blooms. In 2021, EPA agreed to update wastewater standards for the industry in response to a similar lawsuit.
The agency proposed new standards in early 2024, but the Trump administration reversed course last month. During a trip to Minnesota, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said he would not impose any new wastewater regulations on the meat-producing industry, citing concerns about costs to producers and potential impacts on food prices.
EPA’s own analysis, however, showed that its proposed regulation would have had adverse economic impacts on less than 1 percent of all meat processing facilities and slaughterhouses, said Jen Duggan, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project.
