The Environmental Protection Agency seeksauthority over intermittent streams, ponds and isolated wetlands, some of whichhave no recognizable ties to larger bodies of water.   

One constant for close to a decade has been the Environmental Protection Agency’s focus on expanding regulatory requirements for Confined Animal Feeding Operations. However, in a surprising move on July 13, EPA announced it would not pursue a rule that would allow it to collect information from CAFOs.

Although the benefits realized from the use of arsenicals are numerous, the Food and Drug Administration apparently requested the drug’s manufacturer, Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer, to withdraw it from the market after completing a study that assessed arsenic levels in birds fed Roxarsone. While research is the mainstay of the poultry industry’s efficacy, the research performed by the FDA lacks the scrutiny necessary to justify FDA's rushed judgment concerning the use of Roxarsone in poultry feed diets.

In spite of poultry’s long history and importance to almost every state that lies within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the future of poultry production within the region may be at risk.

Phasing out this practice can at least partially restore our public image.

Although impractical issues are cast about on a seemingly frequent basis, sometimes our government officials do get it right.