EPA seeks up to $177,500 in fines against hog farming Tennessee lawmaker

Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, participates in a House debate on a bill to extend in-state tuition to non-citizen students who are lawfully present in the United States in Nashville on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.
Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, participates in a House debate on a bill to extend in-state tuition to non-citizen students who are lawfully present in the United States in Nashville on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.
photo State Rep. Andy Holt

NASHVILLE -- A state lawmaker is facing up to $177,500 in fines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for discharging waste from his northwestern Tennessee hog farm without a permit.

WTVF-TV in Nashville first reported Thursday that the EPA had filed the complaint against state Rep. Andy Holt, a Dresden Republican and vice chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. According to the filing, Holt's farm discharged a total of more than 860,000 gallons from lagoons on the farm raising nearly 1,500 swine without proper authorization.

Holt, who has been a vocal critic of the EPA, told WTVF that he "loves a good fight," but that he has also been in discussions about a settlement. He said he self-reported the discharges to the state after heavy rainfall had caused the lagoons to overflow.

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