Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment prohibits the EPA from enforcing its Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule against farms, giving special interest to one industry. The EPA's spill rule is not based upon the type of facility or type of operations, but upon the storage of oil or petroleum products. If you store greater than 1,320 gallons and if a discharge from aboveground storage would reach waterways, you fall under these regulations and must develop and implement a spill prevention plan. Now, some large farm operations store up to 60,000 gallons of fuel in one location, and it is reckless to not require them to have some sort of spill response plan. EPA has already made efforts to accommodate farms and made compliance with the rule easier. The Agency amended its rule to provide a self- certification option for the facilities, including farms that store under 10,000 gallons of oil, thereby avoiding the expense of a professional engineer. EPA also provided a template for a spill control plan for farmers to use. Compliance with this rule is not difficult or costly. In fact, about 95 percent of farms subject to the rule are eligible to self-certify their spill prevention plans. This amendment could have devastating consequences and harmful impacts on our Nation's waterways. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.”