The EPA has ended a farm air emissions study that relied on data from volunteer poultry and livestock operations in 2005-07. The agency says those measurements are too old for current regulatory use. Delmarva growers pushed for the change, but the announcement does not include a new monitoring program to replace it. Without a federal study, states and permit writers will need another way to estimate emissions such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and particulate matter from farms. The decision removes a compliance burden that growers called a long-running source of uncertainty, but it also leaves a gap in public data on agricultural emissions. Anyone tracking farm emissions or comparing environmental data across states should watch for what the EPA proposes next. The end of this study does not resolve the underlying measurement question.
