Fighting EPA Regulatory Proposal

Fighting EPA Regulatory Proposal. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The potential effects of an Environmental Protection Agency health endangerment finding are of great concern for the agriculture community. U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Jon Wooster notes methane, a type of greenhouse gas, is a natural byproduct of cattle and other livestock. As a result the EPA finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health could have a devastating impact on livestock and farming operations and the workers and families who depend on them.

WOOSTER: This new finding exposes us to a huge liability under the clean air act and what we could be faced with are lawsuits that would blame the livestock producers for health problems.
Wooster says the resulting costs of such lawsuits could put many farmers and ranchers out to pasture. But even leaders within EPA, including former Administrator Stephen Johnson, have admitted the Clean Air Act isn’t a vehicle for addressing climate change. And rather than saving the planet as intended Wooster says the public health finding would add to the burden of American farmers and consumers already hit hard by the economic recession.

WOOSTER: That’s going to affect all of us whether we’re large operators or small operators, even the smallest of operations with 50 head of cattle we would meet the 100 tons per year emissions threshold that would require regulation and it looks like another huge layer of bureaucracy would have to be created to regulate this and in the end it’s going to cost the producers a lot of money to try to follow whatever regulations they come up with. And so in the end it’s going to make it more expensive for consumers. In an economy like this, no consumers need the extra cost. Especially from a regulation like this that has no scientific justification.

That’s why Wooster says the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association is looking for an extended comment period.

WOOSTER: This matter is of such importance our leaders must take the time to weigh all the information carefully and for that reason the cattlemen are requesting these folks give us more time to respond to this finding which is currently scheduled to close on June 23^rd. We need an additional 60 days to address these concerns.

Members of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association are in D.C. this week to meet with lawmakers and administration officials about a variety of issues of importance to America’s ranchers, including this EPA proposal.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.