More than a decade ago, animal agriculture secured a hard-fought reporting exemption under two chemical release laws, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), passed in 1980, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), passed in 1986.
On April 11, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated this exemption, tortuously dragging animal agriculture back into pointless reporting requirements. Animal agriculture needs to be aware of and develop a comprehensive plan to address this adverse decision. The good news is that the fundamental basis for granting the exemption continues today: