Last November the Institute, along with the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Michigan Environmental Council, petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw Michigan's authority to administer the Clean Water Act for agriculture operations. The reasons include failure to issue permits as required by law, and the inappropriate transfer of the Department of Environmental Quality's Clean Water Act responsibilities to the Department of Agriculture.

What you can do
• Check the "Livestock Factories"-->"Livestock Factories" page for copies of the petition and supporting information.
• Write a letter in support of the petition to: Steve Jann, U.S. EPA, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3590. Send copies to: David Hamilton, DEQ Surface Water Quality Division Chief, P.O. Box 30473, Lansing, MI 48909-7873; and Vicki Pontz-Teachout, MDA Environmental Stewardship Division director, P.O. Box 30017, Lansing, MI 48909.
• Inform the U.S. EPAabout the existence of large animal feeding operations in your area and any pollution problems they may have had.