Farmers and ranchers getting fined for creating too much dust? As part of a Clean Air Act the Environmental Protection Agency is asking for twice as strict dust regulations. Some senators are asking the EPA to back off while it said regulating farmers is not part of its plan.
Their farm has been in John Greer's family for more than 120 years. He said dust is just part of the job.
"Marketing our grain, driving up and down our gravel or unimproved roads causes a lot of dust," said Greer.
That is not to mention handling livestock or harvesting crops. But as part of a five year review of Quantitative Health Risk Assessment for Particulate Matter - or dust - the EPA recommends stricter standards.
"We do not know how it is going to affect us but we are afraid it will affect us big time," Greer said.
They are not the only ones. 21 senators wrote EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asking the EPA to back off. Senator Mike Johanns said the new standards would be devastating for Nebraska agriculture.
"You could go to just about anywhere in the state and we would either be bumping into that or actually over it and then you have all kinds of challenges in terms of how do you mitigate dust when you are out in the field and that sort of thing," said Johanns.
But an EPA spokesman said new rural regulations were never part of the plan.
"Contrary to blatantly false drum beat by agricultural alarmists, EPA does not have any plans to focus on regulating dust from farm fields or gravel roads," said Kris Lancaster, EPA, Region 7.
Lancaster said as part of the EPA's mission to protect public health the assessment focuses on significant sources of pollution most of which are in urban areas.
Senator Johanns asks if that were true why put agricultural regulations in their proposed assessment policy—which is the first step along the pathway to regulation? Between this and a recently withdrawn EPA proposal to monitor spilt milk, Johanns said it is too much.
"Why do they do these wacky things and then claim that we are the ones being alarmists? These folks drive me nuts. They are a federal department that just is out of control," Johanns said.
Meanwhile, it is the everyday farmers like Greer getting blown away with the wind.
To read the letter 21 Senators sent to the EPA and the release from the EPA visit http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=PressRelease&ContentRecord_id=a46243de-7140-4578-9607-46b697734f99&ContentType_id=bc82adff-27b4-4832-9fd6-aecbe3e7d8e3
Article by Amy West khastv.com
Their farm has been in John Greer's family for more than 120 years. He said dust is just part of the job.
"Marketing our grain, driving up and down our gravel or unimproved roads causes a lot of dust," said Greer.
That is not to mention handling livestock or harvesting crops. But as part of a five year review of Quantitative Health Risk Assessment for Particulate Matter - or dust - the EPA recommends stricter standards.
"We do not know how it is going to affect us but we are afraid it will affect us big time," Greer said.
They are not the only ones. 21 senators wrote EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asking the EPA to back off. Senator Mike Johanns said the new standards would be devastating for Nebraska agriculture.
"You could go to just about anywhere in the state and we would either be bumping into that or actually over it and then you have all kinds of challenges in terms of how do you mitigate dust when you are out in the field and that sort of thing," said Johanns.
But an EPA spokesman said new rural regulations were never part of the plan.
"Contrary to blatantly false drum beat by agricultural alarmists, EPA does not have any plans to focus on regulating dust from farm fields or gravel roads," said Kris Lancaster, EPA, Region 7.
Lancaster said as part of the EPA's mission to protect public health the assessment focuses on significant sources of pollution most of which are in urban areas.
Senator Johanns asks if that were true why put agricultural regulations in their proposed assessment policy—which is the first step along the pathway to regulation? Between this and a recently withdrawn EPA proposal to monitor spilt milk, Johanns said it is too much.
"Why do they do these wacky things and then claim that we are the ones being alarmists? These folks drive me nuts. They are a federal department that just is out of control," Johanns said.
Meanwhile, it is the everyday farmers like Greer getting blown away with the wind.
To read the letter 21 Senators sent to the EPA and the release from the EPA visit http://johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=PressRelease&ContentRecord_id=a46243de-7140-4578-9607-46b697734f99&ContentType_id=bc82adff-27b4-4832-9fd6-aecbe3e7d8e3
Article by Amy West khastv.com
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