Ed Whitfield: “American farmers, ranchers, and other rural businesses, like many other sectors of our economy, have faced an onslaught…”

“American farmers, ranchers, and other rural businesses, like many other sectors of our economy, have faced an onslaught of EPA regulations. Now, we all support the environment, but our economy is struggling today, and every regulation adds additional cost. The Congressional Research Service recently reported that agriculture has been facing new Clean Air Act greenhouse gas standards; engine emission standards; national ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulates; Clean Water Act permitting and other requirements; Superfund reporting requirements; and regulations for disclosure, permitting, and other regulatory requirements relating to the use of pesticides. And until recently, the dairy industry faced ambiguity about whether milk and milk containers would be subject to the EPA oil spill prevention regulations. We have 2.2 million farms in America employing 1.8 million people and providing 5 percent of this Nation's exports. We need to do everything possible to make it easy for them to do business and still protect the economy. {time} 1130 Today we're going to consider H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011. At a time when rural economies are struggling, this bill provides certainty that farmers, ranchers, and other rural businesses will not be burdened with costly and unnecessary new dust regulations from Washington, D.C.…”