The Environmental Protection Agency has been a hot topic lately. Several Republicans have proposed gutting its budget or cutting it entirely, and Obama has been using it with increased frequency to impose his own environmental vision for America. (Or “going around Congress” as he is wont to phrase it.) They have proposed or enacted countless new regulations that will cost our economy hundreds of billions of dollars.
As such their regulations are coming under intense scrutiny, specifically in regard to rules that could be unfairly imposed on America’s farmers.
The first round, last week, stemmed from a new EPA regulation on dust, which if applied to farm operations – which naturally stir enormous amounts of dust – would potentially cripple the nation’s agricultural industries.
The EPA brushed it aside, calling it a “myth”.
While they’re attempting to use the same “myth” language to dismiss the newest fight at hand, two Missouri politicians have stepped in to make sure it’s a myth by law, not just by proclamation.
Senator Roy Blunt and Rep. Billy Long have introduced legislation to prevent the EPA from using the Superfund legislation against farms or animal operations to declare them contaminated by toxic waste.
If the legislation were ever used against the farms it would cause not just a “problem, but create huge penalties,” Sen. Blunt said.
The EPA and Obama administration would like to have the public believe these issues are akin to tilting at windmills, as their “myth” language heavy-handedly hints at; but as the federal government continues to expand at near-exponential speed it’s important to put safeguards in place now to prevent them from using legislation they call a myth today as a weapon tomorrow.
Blunt has indicated that he may amend the legislation to a Congressional spending bill to assure it passes.
Maybe someday we won’t have to pass legislation in order to protect anyone from the EPA, but until then safeguards will have to do. As many of them as possible.
- B.H.
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