The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has opened an investigation into whether the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) failed to provide proper oversight for the state’s industrial hog operators. The investigation will focus on whether regulations were inadequately enforced because the operations largely impacted minorities.

 

Via Raleigh’s  The News and Observer.  Reporting by Emery Dalesio (@emerydalesio) for the Associated Press (@AP).

From the article:

 

“What they’re looking at is whether or not living in proximity to the facilities is harmful and whether or not that harm disproportionately impacts” minorities,” said Marianne Engelman Lado, an attorney for the advocacy group Earthjustice representing the complaining groups. “The community has for generations at this point, for decades, been crying for more protection from the waste.”

The EPA has not suggested that it has found evidence of guilt, and is trying to resolve the issue informally.