The nutrients and bacteria in the animals' manure can cause massive fish kills in lakes and rivers, and pose a threat to human heath. Pollution of this type is not adequately regulated under the Clean Water Act. The national permitting system that currently regulates feedlot pollution is found under Section 402 of the Clean Water Act. This is a danger, because the remaining livestock operations are uncontrolled and basically free to pollute. No floor action has occurred to date on this piece of legislation.
Permits make the job of monitoring and recording past and present feedlot pollution easier.
This will increase the public knowledge of dangerous spills in nearby surface and ground water. The bill also reduces the threshold for concentrated animal feeding operations. Reduction of the animal number threshold makes permits necessary for more factory farms than currently require them. With more permits, the safety of the public and the environment is increased . In the United States, more than half the population lives along the coast.