Lummis: EPA regulation will harm American agriculture
‘It’s time the EPA rethink the consequences the farm dust regulation will have on the people who feed us.’
by U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis media release
September 27, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today (Monday, Sept. 27, 2010), U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), along with the support of 74 bipartisan colleagues, sent a letter (http://lummis.house.gov/UploadedFiles/farm_dust_pdf.pdf) urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to refrain from imposing burdensome farm dust regulations on America’s farmers and ranchers. Lummis released the following statement regarding the EPA’s review:
"The Obama EPA’s unprecedented attempts to regulate dust on farms and ranches is just another example of how out-of-touch this administration is. Clear evidence acknowledges that the dust standard revision is unnecessary. Yet despite results from scientific studies, the EPA is continuing its attempts to control the day-to-day operations on ranches and farms.
"This unreasonable requirement will cause extreme hardship to farmers, livestock producers and other resource-based industries throughout rural America. People in the West and those in dry climates will be hit especially hard. It’s time the EPA rethink the consequences the farm dust regulation will have on the people who feed us."
Background:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM). The review is required every five years under the Clean Air Act. The Second Draft Policy Assessment (PA) for PM released on July 8, 2010 in the Federal Register lays the foundation for establishing the most stringent and unparalleled regulation of dust in our nation’s history. Presently, scientific studies do not support the need for revising the dust standard. In fact, according to the PA, the science would justify leaving it as is. Yet, the Obama administration is signaling its intent to proceed with the new standard.
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