Oregon:CAFO permitting changes don't pass muster

New permitting requirements for Oregon’s confined animal feeding operations have failed to gain enough support on a key legislative committee to move forward this year. Large CAFOs would have needed preliminary approval from state regulators prior to construction and final approval to begin operating under Senate Bill 876, which was killed off by a recent legislative deadline.The Oregon Department of Agriculture worked hard to contain environmental problems at Lost Valley Farm — a large dairy that went bankrupt after repeated wastewater violations — but the incident exposed regulatory weaknesses that could be easily fixed, said Sen. Mike Dembrow, D-Portland.