June 19, 2009 |
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AG Groups Weigh In On EPA's Endangerment Finding |
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| USCA (June19, 2009) - Nearly two-dozen farm and ranch organizations sent a letter today to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing its proposal to classify greenhouse gases as a public health risk. “Farmers and ranchers would be exposed to potential legal liability under such a plan,” explained Jon Wooster, president of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), which spearheaded the joint letter effort. “In today’s economy, we’ve got enough to worry about without having to look over our shoulder for increased litigation from those that want to sue us for a range of reasons from methane gas expelled by livestock to the diesel that powers tractors,” he said. Even small farmers and ranchers would be subject to the EPA’s onerous regulation, according to a 2008 analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wooster says one look at the letter’s signers shows that this is an issue that cuts across regional and even political divides, with groups ranging from agribusinesses, to livestock, row crop and Native American producers, who are joining forces to urge the EPA to extend its comment period on the endangerment finding beyond the June 23 deadline. View the entire letter here. |
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