New Study Shows that Clean Hog Waste Systems Will Boost NC Economy by Billions of Dollars

MEDIA ADVISORY

July 6, 2007

What:

Teleconference releasing the results of a landmark analysis that documents the significant economic benefits of replacing outdated hog lagoons with clean, innovative systems for managing waste.  The analysis, conducted by Wilbur Smith Associates, goes beyond previous research on economic impacts conducted by NC State University.

When:

Tuesday, July 10 at 11:00 am.  Call 866-740-1260 and enter conference code 881-2922.

Who:

Joe Rudek, senior scientist, NC Office of Environmental Defense

Tanja Vujic, attorney, NC Office of Environmental Defense

Background:

Environmental Defense will release an analysis that shows significant economic opportunities for North Carolina if the state’s hog industry replaces lagoons and sprayfields with new, clean systems for treating hog waste.  The results clearly indicate that investment in innovative systems that generate marketable byproducts can help the hog industry and the eastern region of the state by creating thousands of jobs and boosting the regional economy by billions of dollars.  The study’s design projects that new technologies would be installed on all NC hog farms over four years.

Visuals:

Hog farm tours with excellent visuals can be arranged upon request.

Contact:

For an embargoed copy of the economic analysis, contact Georgette Shepherd, 919-881-2927 or gshepherd@environmentaldefense.org.  Environmental Defense experts are available for interviews today through the public release of the report.