News
Dust bill advances in U.S. House
A bipartisan bill that would prevent the EPA from regulating farm dust advanced in the U.S. House this week. Introduced by Representatives Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Leonard Boswell of Iowa, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act passed an energy and commerce subcommittee Thursday on a vote of 12 to 9. The bill would keep the EPA from making its federal dust standards more stringent and exempts “nuisance dust” from EPA regulation where there are already state or local laws in place that do that.
An amendment to the bill clarifies the definition of “nuisance dust” –saying particulate matter from industrial operations and power plants still falls under that definition.
In mid-October, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, issued a “final clarification on dust regulation” insisting that the agency would not propose regulations for farm dust as part of the Clean Air Act. However, supporters of the House bill say the EPA could still make changes to the rulemaking process during its review process or because of legal challenges and court decisions.
Tags: EPA, Farm Legislation, South Dakota
Re; Obama administration’s Dept of Labor; Nebraska Cattlemen Do NOT Support Proposed Child Labor Regulations
Early and extensive training of younger generations is vital to the future of the beef cattle industry. Nebraska Cattlemen understands this concept which is why they submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor opposing the proposed child labor regulations.
Nebraska Cattlemen opposes these regulations because rather than trying to find safety solutions; the U.S. Department of Labor has opted, by regulation, to effectively prohibit young workers from being employed in agriculture at all. No longer would a child under the age of 18 be able to work at a grain elevator or sale barn. A child under the age of 16 would not be able to drive any power operated machinery, work in a grain silo or herd livestock. “Without these types of experiences people become further disconnected with food production and its role in their daily lives,” states Chuck Folken, Nebraska Cattlemen President.
Perhaps most concerning to Nebraska Cattlemen is the erosion of the parental exemption which allows children to be employed at any age and perform any task if employed by their own parents. Under the proposed regulations a child will not qualify for this exemption if they are employed by a business entity that is not wholly owned by their parent(s). “Modern agriculture is taking advantage of the tax and liability benefits from organizing as a business entity,” says Folken; “just because it is now Brother & Brother, Inc. should not prevent their own children from being able to work for them.”
Nebraska Cattlemen also believes the proposed regulations do not recognize the dramatic improvements in agriculture machinery safety such as rollover guards and operator presence technology. The proposed regulations do not take into account the vast adoption of low stress handling techniques for livestock which increase safety, practices like those advocated in the Beef Quality Assurance program.
The Nebraska Cattlemen association serves as the representative for the state’s beef cattle industry and represents professional cattle breeders, ranchers and feeders, as well as county and local cattlemen’s associations. Its headquarters are in Lincoln and second office in Alliance serves cattlemen in western Nebraska
YOU CAN’T TRUST THE OBAMA GOVERNMENT – THEY ARE INTENT ON DESTRYING RURAL LIFE!