Statement by Steve Nelson, Regarding EPA Air Emission Reporting Exemption for Livestock Farms
LINCOLN, NEB. – “There is a time and place for sensible regulations that protect our environment and our citizens. However, past efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require farmers and ranchers to report air emissions from their operations were nothing more than regulatory overkill. With that said, we greatly appreciate Administrator Wheeler’s recent action to eliminate EPA’s unnecessary air emission reporting requirements for livestock farms under EPA’s Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) regulations.”
“The goal of EPCRA was to prepare communities for emergency threats related to hazardous chemical releases. Routine emissions from livestock farms do not in any way constitute an “emergency threat” that would present a risk to community members and first responders. We appreciate EPA’s common-sense action that accurately reflects Nebraska farmers and ranchers long-track record of being good environmental stewards.”
“I also want to thank Sen. Deb Fischer for her leadership on this issue. The passage of Sen. Fischer’s ‘Fair Agricultural Reporting Method Act’ legislation last fall eliminated similar reporting requirements for livestock farms under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The adoption of that legislation and EPA’s recent action on EPCRA provides regulatory consistency for livestock farmers across both emission reporting regulations.”
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 61,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.
