8-17 IAN Simpson/EPA

 Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has fought to rein in unnecessary regulations coming from the Environmental Protection Agency.  Simpson, who is Ranking Member of the House subcommittee that funds the EPA, offered a number of amendments during subcommittee markup of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for 2011 intended to prevent the EPA from implementing onerous regulations that would negatively impact the economy.

First, Simpson offered an amendment to prohibit the EPA from using taxpayer dollars to implement laws or regulations that would expand EPA jurisdiction over state waters.  Currently non-navigable waters are regulated by the states.

Simpson also offered an amendment to put the Committee on record opposing efforts by the EPA to require dairy producers to develop oil spill prevention plans in the event of a milk spill.  A recently implemented EPA rule would lump dairy producers and processers in with oil companies, which are required to have oil spill prevention plans for storage containers that hold 1,320 gallons or more of oil of any kind. 

Here’s the Congressman: “The EPA scares me more than any other federal agency.”

When you lump dairy operations in with people like British Petroleum, the old saying don’t cry over spilled milk takes on a totally new connotation.