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Emissions data from AFO study now available

January 17, 2011,
Washington, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making data
publicly available from a two-year study of air emissions from animal feeding
operations (AFOs).
January 17, 2011,
Washington, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making data
publicly available from a two-year study of air emissions from animal feeding
operations (AFOs).

AFOs, which house large
numbers of animals for production of meat, dairy products and eggs, were
monitored for the following air pollutants: ammonia, hydrogen sulfide,
particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.

The data available is
from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study, which resulted from a 2005
voluntary compliance agreement between EPA and the AFO industry. The study was
funded by industry and conducted by Purdue University researchers with EPA
oversight. Throughout the studies, participating AFOs made their operations
available for monitoring and worked closely with the researchers, industry
experts and EPA.

Researchers monitored
emissions at AFOs that raise pigs and broiler chickens, at egg-laying
operations, and at dairies, with a total of 24 monitoring sites in nine states.
A separate industry study monitored emissions from a broiler chicken operation
in Kentucky. The EPA will use data from the studies to help develop improved
methodologies for estimating AFO emissions. Such methodologies are commonly used
to estimate emissions from industries where site-specific monitoring data are
not available.

At the request of the
agriculture industry, the EPA also is issuing a Call for Information seeking
data from other monitoring studies of AFO emissions. Submitting this
information is not required; however, it will help the agency ensure that its
emissions estimating tools are based on the best scientific data available.

The EPA is requesting
quality-assured data on emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate
matter and volatile organic compounds, along with information about how animals
are housed or managed, and how manure is stored and treated at the monitored
operations. The agency is asking for this information for operations that raise
pigs, chickens, turkeys and beef cattle, and for egg-laying and dairy cattle
operations. Once the Call for Information is published in the Federal Register,
there will be a 45-day comment period.

The EPA will make draft
methodologies available for public review and comment on a rolling basis,
beginning in spring 2011.

Information on
submitting data and data from the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study is
available at http://www.epa.gov/airquality/agmonitoring/index.html.
Information about the voluntary air compliance agreement is available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/agreements/caa/cafo-agr.html.