| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| EPA says Farm Dust Requires Regulation |
| 2009-03-02 |
| DES MOINES, Iowa -- Nothing says summer in Iowa like a cloud of dust behind a combine. But what may be a fact of life for farmers is a cause for concern to federal regulators, who are refusing to exempt growers from new environmental regulations. It's left some farmers feeling bemused and more than a little frustrated. "It's such a non-commonsense idea that you can keep dust within a property line when the wind blows," said Sen. Charles Grassley, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee who still farms in northeast Iowa. Who says the EPA has any common sense? Under rules imposed in 2006, rural areas would be kept to the same standards as urban areas for what the Environmental Protection Agency calls "coarse particulate matter" in the air. Dust to us Rubes. The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council had petitioned the government to provide an exemption to farmers. They argued that evidence of harm caused by dust in rural areas hasn't been determined. If I was the National Pork Producers Council I'd consider changing the name. Don't want to get confused with Congress. But the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington ruled Tuesday that the EPA had already provided the evidence necessary to determine farm dust "likely is not safe." Nothing is safe. We must regulate everything out of existance. Michael Formica, a lawyer for the pork council, said this means farmers now face the daunting task of proving a negative -- that the dust is not harmful. Try picking peanuts without making dust. It doesn't seem to have harmed me. Formica said his and other groups will consider a further appeal. Farmers said they will be hard-pressed to meet the standards. In a letter sent Wednesday to the EPA, Grassley wrote that compliance would be impossible because of the dust produced in farmers' day-to-day activities. That's why they're called Sodbusters. Grassley also has noted that because many rural roads are not paved, particulate readings could be affected by wind gusts that constantly change. "After all, God decides when the wind blows, not Chuck Grassley," he said. Maybe Obama has taken over that part of God's job. He's gonna lower the Ocean levels. But the EPA said the regulation was overdue. Every five years, the Clean Air Act requires the agency to review the newest scientific information and recommend changes to its standards. In 2006, the EPA determined larger particles in the air than previously thought were a danger to the public. The increased threshold covered air mixes that occur in rural areas. EPA spokeswoman Cathy Milbourn said the changes are not just a matter of regulating dust. They serve the public's well-being and, regardless of whether someone lives in a rural or urban area, the threshold for unsafe levels of dust in the air must remain consistent nationally. Sounds like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. They don't care that conditions are different everywhere, all they want is compliance with an arbitrary uniform model. "It's health-based," she said. "We don't look at a particular industry. The goal is to protect public health." We know what's best for you. Trust us. When counties reach "non-attainment" levels, it becomes a state's responsibility to bring the county back into acceptable levels. Milbourn said various options exist for states, such as retrofitting buses that run on diesel engines. What the hell does that have to do with dust? But farmers insist the regulation will affect their operations and eventually their bottom lines. And they said unlike fixing a bus, they have few options for limiting dust from their fields and roads. Just do all work when it's raining. Roger Zylstra, a director with the Iowa Corngrowers Association, said if left alone, farmers can compete worldwide. But regulation could impede their success. But they are Regulators! They exist to Regulate! He said there seems to be a disconnect between farmers and policymakers. My, my. How DID he get so smart? "Many of the people that are making the rules, it feels like they really don't know what (farming) issues are," said Zylstra, a Lynnville resident who has worked on a farm for 35 years. Zylstra said it's hard not to get frustrated. "We think we've met the demands that have been put upon us and lo and behold, we have new and even more stringent demands. It seems really unrealistic." |
| Posted by:Deacon Blues |
| #6 Don't worry about that. I'm sure Obama will issue some Directive that you cannot fire anyone, nor can you quit your job, or close your business.... (sorry don't have the Directive # from Atlas Shrugged on me right now....) |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-03-02 23:31 |
| #5 So the EPA will drive all farm crops out of the country and we will import our food. But we will not be able to do that because we will go bankrupt paying taxes for this foolishness. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-03-02 22:02 |
| #4 Nothing is safe. We must regulate everything out of existance. That is precisely what this is all about. You can expect to see more and more bizarre crap like this as we move to the end stage of this insanity. Personally, I don't think fighting this in court is what needs to happen. Time to give these folks the big middle finger, and when they try and enforce this...well, Iowa is a big place lots of places that things can get lost. |
| Posted by: Trader_DFW 2009-03-02 21:42 |
| #3 Why not - they force commercial fishermen to hire non-fishing 'observers' to make sure that they aren't fishing for the 'wrong' kind of fish. When all they have to do is have people inspect the catch when they boat pulls up to the dock (or processing ship) to unload. They are trying to do the same to Farmers that they did the Lumbermen and are trying with the fishermen. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-03-02 16:25 |
| #2 Go anywhere in the agricultural areas of this country during the spring or fall and you'll get "Farm Dust". Sometimes it smells good, too. Me thinks this is a ploy by the EPA (and their evil goracle masters) to get their fingers (and more unqualified personnel - Look! New Jobs!) deeper into the agricultural and mostly non-industrial, low-polluting states (except for those pesky manure slurry 'accidents' and fertilizer runoff during a flood). This little 'perceived danger' would justify their increased presence in these areas when it comes to budget time. Plus, they'd have the 'mandate' to snoop around. In the past, they may have been met with angry dogs, evil geese or a load of #4 rock salt. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-03-02 15:43 |
| #1 About the stupidest effin thing I've heard of. So let me get this straight: gonna put a dust tax and fart tax on agriculture (you know, that major US export) and run everyone into the red, then what: Bail them out with a bigger farm package? Seize their land and sell it to big boys? Turn it into a big hunting ground for east coast lawyers? Besides the obvious army of regulators whats gonna happen when states start contesting whether dust is local or blown in from another state? Could states sue the sahara countries for compensation? Whaddabout all that crap thrown up by a forest fire or that shovel ready pork chop express road construction? When counties reach "non-attainment" levels, it becomes a state's responsibility to bring the county back into acceptable levels. Gonna pass the regulatory buck down to the state huh? Claim the 12th and tell the EPA to sod off. Compared to the shortage of food (expensive food will be the least worry) and loss of the farming culture, perhaps a relavent quote from someone smarter than I: I've got a hundred people down here, and they're covered with dust. Dust? Who gives a sh!t about dust? Who the f@k is this? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-03-02 15:33 |