FRENCH FRY OIL SPILLS DEEMED HAZARDOUS BY EPA

FRENCH FRY OIL SPILLS DEEMED HAZARDOUS BY EPA

WASHINGTON (Wireless Flash) -- A greasy battle is underway over a government policy that classifies fast food fryer oil spills as potentially dangerous as the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency classifies large quantities of cooking oil as "hazardous materials" -- just like petroleum. The EPA claims that large spills of french fryer oil would have the same effect as a petroleum spill and foul up water sources, suffocate animals and kill off plants. But not everyone agrees. The National Oilseed Processors Association claims it's "ridiculous" for the government to lump edible oils into the same category as toxic oils like petroleum. The group is now lobbying for the EPA to differentiate between the two types of oil, and it may just be that "oils well" that ends well. The EPA recently agreed to review a new proposal that would modify the law.