Md. to announce tighter controls on poultry waste ANNAPOLIS, MD. (AP) (wesm) - Taking a tougher stand toward state agricultural interests in an effort to cut pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, state regulators planned to will announce tighter controls Friday on what Eastern Shore poultry farmers do with the birds' waste.

The rules were proposed by the Maryland Department of the Environment. They would bring unprecedented scrutiny of the state's poultry industry, which is not subject to certain regulations that apply to dairy and hog farms.

The proposal would limit where, how and for how long chicken farmers may store excess manure in outdoor piles, open to the rain. Also, for the first time, it would permit state officials to inspect poultry farms unannounced.

''It's controversial, but it's necessary,'' Maryland Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson said.

Environmentalists say poultry waste washes downstream, eventually helping trigger low-oxygen ''dead zones'' in the Chesapeake.

Representatives of the state's poultry business said Thursday they would not comment on the regulations until they had seen them. But previously, chicken farmers have said they feel blamed for the bay's larger problems. They say they wouldn't allow large amounts of manure, a valuable fertilizer source, to wash away in the rain.

''We'd go bankrupt in a heartbeat if we did something like that,'' said Virgil Shockley, who has about 100,000 birds and is president of the Worcester County Commission. In an interview with The Washington Post this week, he said the manure spread on nearby cornfields is not what environmentalists should be concerned about.

''There's less nitrogen in those cornfields than there (is) on the lawns on the Potomac River,'' Shockley said. ''I will bet my bank account on it.''

Nitrogen is a key factor in algae blooms.

The state's farm lobby will be able to comment on the proposed rules during public hearings, including two in November on the Eastern Shore. State officials said the rules likely won't be completed until early next year.

State Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has argued for stricter regulation of chicken operations. He said he was glad the state was cracking down.

''We're starting to get our arms around it,'' Gansler said. ''Up to this point, there has been zero regulation.''

Maryland's chicken industry is the state's largest agricultural endeavor, contributing $845 million to the state's economy. It employs about 15,000 across the Delmarva region, according to an industry group.

Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com

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