Sec. 2. Findings

286 words·~1 min read·/bill/114/hr/1993/ih/section-2

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Congress finds the following: The agricultural community of the United States serves as the economic backbone of many communities and employs millions of Americans. In recent years, one-size-fits-all policies issued by the Environmental Protection Agency have increased dramatically, requiring agricultural producers to focus on regulation compliance rather than on growing the world’s healthiest, most abundant food supply. Attempts by the Environmental Protection Agency to expand the definition of Waters of the United States under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act expand the scope of Federal jurisdiction under that Act well beyond the intent of Congress, and would eliminate a central precept of that Act, which reserves certain waters to the exclusive jurisdiction of the States.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed revisions to the existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone would impose significant costs on agriculture and rural counties. An increasing number of poultry and livestock operations have been forced to apply for permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System resulting from the Environmental Protection Agency’s expanding definition of what constitutes a discharge under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Duplicative and costly permitting requirements under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act will require additional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for pesticide applications, subjecting pesticide users to unnecessary red tape and financial burdens while exposing them to the threat of unfounded litigation. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act threaten the reliability and affordability of our Nation’s electricity supply and would impose an undue burden on agricultural producers.

The Federal Government should not impose further rules or regulations that are overly burdensome or cause economic hardship for the agricultural community.