Iowa farmers ink EPA deals

WASHINGTON, D.C. - It was a deal that Iowa hog farmer Shaun Greiner says he couldn't refuse: Pay the government $200 and he'd be protected from much bigger fines for possible violations of federal air-pollution laws.

Greiner is one of thousands of hog farmers nationally, along with some poultry and dairy producers, who signed agreements that protect them from liability for failing to file emission reports or, less likely, exceeding pollution limits.

"It was kind of a no-brainer for me," said Greiner, who raises market hogs and nursery pigs near Washington, Ia. "I decided that for the small amount it's going to cost, I can sleep at night and so can my bank."

In exchange for the liability protection, farms agreed to pay $200 to $100,000 in what are classified as civil penalties. The size of the penalties varied according to the size of the operation.

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Source: DesMoines Register

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