The Ag Minute
The Ag Minute: Threat of More Regs Ruins Appetite for Job Creation in Rural America
Washington, DC,
July 19, 2011
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This week during The Ag Minute, guest host Rep. Kristi Noem discusses H.R. 1633, The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011, which she introduced in April. The bill would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing a stricter dust standard on farmers and ranchers. Presently, the EPA is reviewing the standards for particle pollution under the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is expected to make a decision this summer on whether to maintain the current standard. Click here to listen to The Ag Minute. The transcript is below. "When I ask South Dakota producers what is the number one thing we can do in Washington, DC to help create jobs and grow our ag economy, the answer is simple: give us more regulatory certainty. "Not knowing what threatening regulation might be coming down the line from the Environmental Protection Agency dampens any small business owner’s appetite for expanding their operation or hiring another employee. "That’s why the first bill I introduced as a freshman Member of Congress would prohibit the EPA from burdening farmers, ranchers and small business owners in rural America with additional dust regulations. "Anyone who has driven a combine through a field knows that dust is a part of rural living. "It’s hard to think of something more emblematic of Washington’s regulatory overreach than the potential punishment of farmers and livestock producers for kicking up dust. Further, it would be detrimental to our nation’s agriculture industry. The EPA has an important mission but this isn’t part of it. "I believe it is essential that we stop the job-destroying overreach of the EPA, so we can give our ag producers the certainty they need to create jobs and grow our economy." The Ag Minute is Chairman Lucas's weekly radio address that is released from the House Agriculture Committee. ### |