When someone approaches me I never know if they are going to be glad, sad, happy or mad. Last week, a lady approached me in an airport and she was in the happy camp. She wanted to tell me that my staff rarely misses an agriculture meeting in the District and just wanted to thank me for everything we do for farmers. I said I appreciated hearing that and then told her what I tell everyone: I can’t guarantee good results but I can guarantee a good effort on whatever issue we’re working on and farming is no exception.
In 2016, Missouri’s agriculture industry generated $88 billion. With that type of economic engine it’s crucial we ensure this industry has as little red tape as possible. Over the years, the federal government has slapped farmers and ranchers with costly rules and regulations with which they cannot possibly comply. One of those regulations includes the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). This costly law was implemented several decades ago to regulate industrial chemical waste. Think disasters like the Love Canal in New York, and the Valley of Drums in Kentucky. Due to Congress’ failure to differentiate between farms and hazardous sites, the CERCLA regulations are now applicable to everyday farm activities.
During President George W. Bush’s administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule that exempted farms from complying with CERCLA. President Obama’s EPA defended this rule for eight years. However, the DC Circuit Court recently overturned the EPA’s rule, paving the way for the regulations to go into effect on May 1, 2018. This May, 200,000 ranchers, livestock farmers and dairy producers in the U.S. would be required to comply with the law and report low-level odor emissions from livestock and poultry manure. Failure to comply with the law would result in potential lawsuits or fines up to $53,907 a day.
Earlier this month, along with my buddy Jim Costa (D-CA), we introduced H.R. 5275, the Agricultural Certainty for Reporting Emissions (ACRE) Act. This bipartisan bill would create a permanent exemption for farms from the CERCLA regulations. Specifically, the ACRE Act would codify the difference between farms and hazardous waste sites as it relates to reporting and cleanup. Without this bill, farmers and ranchers will be subject to excessive paperwork that only hinders their ability to do their job.
This is a bipartisan solution that has support from numerous stakeholders in the industry, such as the Missouri Farm Bureau, which said this bill would provide much-needed certainty for Missouri’s livestock operations. And with Missouri being home to more than 100,000 farms, the ACRE Act would allow these men and women to focus on their farms rather than filling out government forms.
Just wait until the Chinese tariffs cut into the soybean, corn and wheat markets Billy. You are really going to be popular then.
ReplyDeleteThe law at the basic part is correct and is needed. Just modify it to only cover those "factory farms" of size that do the real threat of emissions. The 100,000 farms you speak of are over shadowed by the mega farms you are choosing to protect and ignore that they produce a vast majority of emissions harmful to the health of small communities unable to enact legislation for protection. All things have to be taken in with relation to size or problem producing. Just like the Highway Patrol usually gives speeders the benefit of doubt of 5 mph over speed limit and go after the ones really speeding to excess. A farm of 50 cows is not a problem, but one with 2,000 head of dairy cows is and does cause a major amount of pollution to land, water and air for the neighbors.
ReplyDelete5:18 - Well said! You're spot on about the corporate-owed mega farms being the primary causes of air, water and land pollution; it's not the small operations.
ReplyDeleteIt is the corporate-owned mega farms that pad Blubber Long's personal bank account. If the mom and pop farms could pad his wallet then he would put in a good word for them once in a while.
ReplyDeleteWhich mega farm is it that pass his wallet?
DeleteWhen Trump's tariffs come home to roost on Missouri farms, will Long oppose Trump and support our family farms, those we have left, or knuckle under to political pressure in Washington? That assumes Trump doesn't wake up one morning and change his mind about tariffs based on something he hears on Fox News.
ReplyDelete