Tell Congress to Stop Expansion of Factory Farms

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

The seafloor is coated in green muck and decomposing algae. The deep-dwelling shrimp, crabs and fish have vanished. An area that would normally be teeming with life is now a biological desert.

This is the site of the second-largest dead zone ever recorded.¹ In 2017, scientists discovered a New Jersey-sized low-oxygen zone in the Gulf of Mexico.² Similar dead zones have also emerged in the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie.³

Fortunately, we have the opportunity to prevent similar tragedies. PennEnvironment is urging Congress to halt the expansion of polluting factory farms — which are fueling dead zones.⁴

Go to https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=36808 to call on your U.S. House representative to stand up for clean water by placing a moratorium on factory farms.

Factory farms produce 20,000 tons of waste per year on average.⁵ This waste finds its way into our waterways through spills, leaky manure lagoons, and runoff from the spraying of farm fields with liquid manure.⁶

The environmental damage from factory farm pollution is extensive and enduring. Toxins from manure and fertilizer pouring into our waterways are fueling harmful algal blooms, dead zones and fish kills.

In July 2012, manure from a hog farm in Illinois leaked into Beaver Creek, polluting more than 22 miles of the creek and killing 150,000 fish and 18,000 freshwater mussels. Two years later, biologists could not find any of the nine fish species that had previously lived in the creek.⁷

The volume of waste currently being generated by factory farms is clearly unsustainable — but corporate agribusinesses are looking to expand their operations.⁸ We need a moratorium on factory farms to protect wildlife and waterways from additional pollution.

Join PennEnvironment in urging the U.S. House of Representatives to halt the expansion of factory farming.

We know that together we can make a difference.

Over the past 30 years, PennEnvironment has been a leader in protecting clean water. Our research and policy team has done extensive work reporting on pollution from agribusiness. We also bring a strong track record of success — including winning the landmark Clean Water Rule.

Sandy, it’s because of your support that we’ve been able to achieve these important victories. Join us today in convincing Congress to protect clean water from polluting factory farms.

Take action.

1. Sarah Gibbens, “Massive 8,000-mile ‘dead zone’ could be one of the gulf’s largest,” National Geographic, June 10, 2019.
2. Casey Smith, “New Jersey-Size ‘Dead Zone’ is Largest Ever in Gulf of Mexico,” National Geographic, August 2, 2017.
3. Oliver Milman, “Meat industry blamed for largest-ever ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico,” The Guardian, August 1, 2017.
4. Tony Dutzik, Travis Madsen, John Rumpler and Elizabeth Ridlington, “Corporate Agribusiness and America’s Waterways,” Environment America, November 2010.
5. John Rumpler and Gideon Weissman, “Accidents waiting to happen,” Environment America, February 2019.
6. Tony Dutzik, Travis Madsen, John Rumpler and Elizabeth Ridlington, “Corporate Agribusiness and America’s Waterways,” Environment America, November 2010.
7. David Jackson and Gary Marx, “Spills of pig waste kill hundreds of thousands of fish in Illinois,” Chicago Tribune, August 5, 2016.
8. Tony Dutzik, Travis Madsen, John Rumpler and Elizabeth Ridlington, “Corporate Agribusiness and America’s Waterways,” Environment America, November 2010.