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EPA takes next step towards tougher dust rules

Not as bad as before, but still unacceptable—that’s how the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is reacting to the latest draft of dust regulations from the EPA. 

Last summer, EPA was discussing a ten-fold decrease in the acceptable levels of dust.  According to NCBA vice president of government affairs Colin Woodall, the agency has backed off on that idea.  But he says the latest proposal, released late last week, is still twice as stringent as the current standard.

“The current levels right now are stringent enough and there are a lot of folks that are having a hard time complying with it as it is,” Woodall says. “With a 50 percent reduction (in dust levels), we could see people go out of business—and that means less folks in animal agriculture, less folks in the cattle business, and less  opportunity to make food for this country.”

Woodall doesn’t believe these dust regulations are meant to target farmers and ranchers—but he says agriculture is being lumped in with “nonattainment” cities that are below federal air quality standards.  “What they’re doing is trying to find ways to increase air quality in those arenas—but yet it brings us in—so we are an unintended consequence—but a consequence nonetheless.”

But Woodall says it has been difficult trying to convince EPA officials and others in the Obama administration that their tougher regulations are impacting agriculture.

“You know, we hear a lot from this administration about the need to be able to feed ourselves—we need to be able to protect the family farmers—we need to make sure that agriculture is viable,” Woodall says, “but yet on the regulatory side, it seems like they’re doing everything they can to actually poke agriculture in the eye.”

The dust regulation proposal will be reviewed by the Clean Air Science Advisory Council in late July.  Woodall says that group could make its final recommendations on dust regulation before the end of the year.

 AUDIO: Colin Woodall (7 min MP3)