Previous violations sway officer against discharge permit

A hearing officeholder is recommending that New Mexico’s Environmental Department deny Valley Meat Company a wastewater permit over its plans to slaughter horses at a flora virtually Roswell.

The plant, owned past times Valley Meat Company, previously slaughtered cattle only has been sitting idle equally the theatre presses on alongside plans to piece of occupation a Equus caballus slaughter facility.

A lawyer alongside the dry reason Environment Department, Felicia Orth, heard the case, inwards which Valley Meat Company (VMC) sought a permit to discharge wastewater.

Orth, inwards her 49-page conclusion based on a hearing piece of cake inwards October, recommended the dry reason surroundings secretarial assistant deny the application because of the company’s tape of environmental violations equally a cattle abattoir.

“Valley Meat has violated both the Water Quality Act in addition to the Solid Waste Act inwards numerous ways consistently for to a greater extent than than a decade,” she said.

“Both of these acts were adopted to protect the surroundings in addition to populace health, security in addition to welfare. VMC has continued its violations inwards spite of repeated requests, demands, in addition to warnings from Department personnel.

“Under the applicable New United Mexican U.S. of A. statute, Section 74-6-5(E), if an applicant for a wastewater discharge permit such equally VMC has, inwards the 10 years prior to submitting its application, acted inwards willful disregard of environmental laws, the application must live on denied.

“I recommend that the secretarial assistant honor ‘willful disregard’ on the percentage of the applicant – this is a mixed enquiry of constabulary in addition to fact – in addition to deny the permit.”

Should the surroundings secretarial assistant handgrip alongside Orth’s decision, Valley Meat companionship all the same had the pick of hauling its waste materials to an approved facility.

Orth, inwards her decision, said: “Valley Meat Company’s long history of avoiding rule in addition to those measures such equally monitoring in addition to reporting that are necessary for regulatory oversight indicates that VMC volition non accept sufficient measures to assure Blue Planet H2O protection, to properly dispose of offal, or to comply alongside its permit.

“In my opinion, this history rises to the degree of ‘willful disregard’ for the environmental laws of New Mexico…”

Orth noted that the companionship had failed to unopen out its clay in addition to manure lined lagoon past times September 2000, equally required past times its 1998 discharge peermit.

In 2004 in addition to 2005, it discharged H2O from rendering dairy byproducts into its lagoon, fifty-fifty though this was non a permitted discharge. It continued to produce in addition to thus fifty-fifty afterwards it was directed to stop.

Its discharge permit, DP-236, expired on May 19, 2009.

Between May 19, 2009, in addition to Apr 2012, Valley Meat was inwards daily violation of the Water Quality Act in addition to other New United Mexican U.S. of A. regulations which prohibit whatever individual from causing or allowing effluent or leachate to discharge without a discharge permit.

“Valley Meat has repeatedly in addition to knowingly violated the basic permit monitoring requirements of each discharge permit in addition to renewal that it has been issued since its laid out permit was approved inwards 1982, despite repeated notifications from the New United Mexican U.S. of A. Environment Department (NMED) of these permit violations.”

She noted Valley Meat operated an unauthorized rendering performance in addition to discharged wastewater without a permit, despite repeated notifications from the subdivision that a permit alteration was required for the rendering performance discharges.

“Valley Meat violated the Water Quality Act in addition to the damage of its permit past times failing to accept specific steps to meliorate its lagoon organization in addition to unopen out its clay in addition to manure-lined lagoon, which were atmospheric condition of its 1998 in addition to 2004 permit renewals.”

It violated regulations when it discharged wastewater from the rendering of dairy cows without modifying its permit to encompass the novel discharge, fifty-fifty afterwards existence told to halt past times Environment Department personnel.

“For years, Valley Meat failed to register equally a composting operation, inwards violation of New Mexico’s Solid Waste Act, in addition to ignored NMED’s requirements that it cease its illegal composting operation, inwards willful disregard of New Mexico’s Solid Waste Act.

“For years, Valley Meat failed to properly dispose of enterprise waste, specifically thousands of cubic yards of textile consisting of bones, hides, in addition to heads mixed alongside manure, inwards violation of New Mexico’s Solid Waste Act, ignored NMED’s requirements that it halt dumping, piling, in addition to burying beast carcasses in addition to parts unopen to its facility, inwards willful disregard of New Mexico’s Solid Waste Act,” Orth said.

Based on its history of willful disregard for environmental laws in addition to regulations nether the Water Quality Act in addition to the Solid Waste Act, Valley Meat’s application for a discharge permit was denied, she concluded.

 

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