Washington feedlots ask out of state air law

The Washington beef industry wants lawmakers to exempt cattle feedlots from the state Clean Air Act, complaining the Department of Ecology has adopted a no-tolerance stance on dust rising from thousands of animals in dry conditions. “They have adopted what I would call a new no-tolerance interpretation as it relates to dust,” Agri Beef director of regulatory affairs Jayne Davis told the House Environment Committee on Monday. “We don’t think it can be achieved anywhere in the cattle industry.” Dust from agricultural operations are generally not regulated by the Clean Air Act, which carries fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The law, however, does apply to cattle feedlots with more 1,000 head during the dry summer months. House Bill 1299, introduced by Aberdeen Democrat Brian Blake, chairman of the agriculture committee, would add cattle feedlots to agricultural operations exempted from the act.