Attorney General Miyares joined a 27 state coalition condemning the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule expanding regulations on liquid waste produced by meat and poultry processing plants in the United States to include indirect discharges.
This expansion of regulatory authority exceeds the EPA's statutory authority under the Clean Water Act, potentially leading to significant economic impacts on businesses and consumers, especially in rural America.
Of 5,055 meat processing facilities in the United States, the EPA only regulates 171. This new proposed rule would expand regulations to 3,879 meat processing facilities across America.
“The Biden Administration continues to try and find ways to expand its authority by sidestepping Congress and the American people. This latest attempt would cripple small meat and poultry processing plants, imposing heavy new regulatory costs and hurting rural America,” said Attorney General Miyares.
The proposed rule comes as a response to a settlement agreement between the EPA and environmental groups, which raises serious concerns about due process and transparency in the regulatory process.
Virginia joined Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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