HB2983 amends rules related to Poultry Nutrient Management Plans.
HB2983 amends rules related to Poultry Nutrient Management Plans. The Oklahoma Sierra Club opposed this bill but it was signed into law this year.
This bill regulates the practice of using poultry waste as fertilizer, which is spread over agricultural land. Previously, before this bill passed, the application rates of this waste must meet the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Waste Utilization Standards. This bill changes the regulations so that the applications rates must meet Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry standards instead of the Federal standards. It was stated during committee hearings that the Oklahoma Department standard is based on the 2007 USDA standard. Applicators will not have to update their practices based on current science, but can continue to follow a 15 year old practice.
These standards are designed to protect watersheds and groundwater from excessive nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from the fields where poultry waste is used. These nutrients promote algae growth impairing water safety, clarity, taste, and odor. The runoff from the poultry waste also contains arsenic, heavy metals, bacteria, hormones, and antibiotics. The poultry industries are primarily located in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. The Illinois, Barren Fork, and Flint Creek rivers, as well as Lake Tenkiller, are polluted at unsafe levels because of animal waste. The poultry industry opposes higher water quality standards, poultry litter regulation, and nutrient limits. The poultry companies have known for decades that the disposal of their waste was impairing Oklahoma’s waters.
Note: some of this information was from the Save The Illinois River website.
@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}