EPA Threatens To Charge Farmer $37,500 Every Time It Rains

As read read through this article the last paragraph jumped out at me, "Mrs. Alt has courageously taken on EPA not just for her own benefit, but for the benefit of other farmers. She refused to back down from her principles despite the best efforts of EPA and,,,." Being one that follows those of a conspiratorial mindset, this question came to mind. Why? Why is the EPA so set in making an example of Lois Alt?

I did a quick search out of curiosity, Alt is small fry, 125,000 birds (sorry pun intended), compared to Tyson Foods, Inc and Pilgrim's Corp whose birds number in the 20+ million range. So outside interest or influence doesn't quite fit the scenario. In other words, "big ag" would not gain anything by shutting her down. If anything, I would think that companies such as Tyson would benefit in some way from Alt prevailing in court, but there is so much legalese involved in this case it is hard to follow. So again, I ask why?

This is not normally an area of interest to me and I'm not sure why this story piqued my interest. But is seems that a lot of money and time is being wasted. All I see is the EPA trying to increase the coffers by pushing this into law so they can apply it to the rest of the country and all farms or anyone having farm animals.
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Lois Alt, a chicken farmer based in West Virginia, was threatened in 2012 with a $37,500 fine every time it rained on or near her property due to a federal investigation. The fine was mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the guidance of the Clean Water Act, which aims to ensure that certain practices are not detrimental to the environment.

The EPA found that storm water near Alt’s farm would come into contact with dust, feathers and manure before entering a local waterway. The EPA also found high levels of nitrogen in the chickens’ waste, which could threaten the water supply. Alt filed a lawsuit against the EPA, claiming that her farm is exempt from clean water regulations due to its small, independent size. She won the initial case, but an appeal by the EPA has brought the case to a U.S. District Court.

EPA Threatens To Charge Farmer $37,500 Every Time It Rains

See also:

Chicken fight: Study backs farmer in pollution battle with EPA

Alt's case could get a boost from a new University of Delaware study, which shows the EPA has been overestimating the environmental effect of runoff from feedlots and small farms like Alt's for years. The study found that the level of nitrogen found in chicken manure is 55 percent lower than the decades-old standards set by the EPA. Those findings could give Alt and her legal team powerful ammunition when they go to court on behalf of small farmers everywhere.

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The Delaware study raises the possibility of many farmers having been wrongly fined for polluting the ecosystem in the past, a prospect that would only confirm the suspicions of farming advocates.