A plan to reduce water pollution from hog farms would be put on hold if a GOP Senate budget provision is approved.
Hog farm regulations set to take effect October 1st would be delayed by one year, according to the Senate budget plan released Tuesday.
Proponents say a delay is warranted because of the significant changes related to guidelines governing a major industry.
The News and Observer of Raleigh reports one such guideline would require hog farms with waste pits located in a flood plain to better manage waste levels and to install monitoring wells.
The budget provision also calls for studying the hog farm permit process, following a series of federal nuisance lawsuits brought against pork producers.
Republican Senator Andy Wells says the one-year delay would provide an opportunity for a “thoughtful review” of the regulations.
A spokesperson for the North Carolina Sierra Club says the delay would postpone needed groundwater monitoring and undermine the Department of Environmental Quality's updated permit guidelines.