Oregon lawmakers are considering tightening regulations for large dairies and other confined animal feeding operations, following the regulatory disaster at Lost Valley Farm. The eastern Oregon dairy, at one time the state’s second-largest, was shut down and sold last month after racking up nearly $200,000 in fines for more than 200 environmental violations in less than two years of operations. State regulators allowed the 30,000-cow dairy to open before construction was complete, before its owner had secured water rights, and before land was cleared for applying manure. Four bills aim to prevent similar problems from happening in the future. If passed, they would give Oregon the toughest dairy laws in the nation. More >>
