On the campaign trail last fall, then-state senator Robert Hurt frequently told voters about the time he toured a Nelson County orchard. Near the end of the tour, the orchard owner recited a laundry list of state and federal agencies that regulate his orchard. Finally, he pled for help: “Mr. Hurt, every minute I spend complying with all of these regulations is one minute I can’t spend doing what God put me on this earth to do: grow peaches.” Hurt promised the farmer–and 5th District voters–that if sent to Washington, he would work hard to eliminate unnecessary regulations, thus unleashing the nation’s economic engines. As a member of Congress, Robert Hurt is doing just that.
Rep. Hurt, along with fellow Virginia congressmen Forbes, Goodlatte and Rigell, is cosponsoring H.R. 1633-The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, which is designed to:
Prohibit[] the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the national primary ambient air quality standard or the national secondary ambient air quality standard applicable to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter greater than 2.5 micrometers under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for one year.
Exempts nuisance dust from the CAA and excludes nuisance dust from references in such Act to particulate matter, except with respect to geographic areas where such dust is not regulated under state, tribal, or local law if the Administrator finds that: (1) nuisance dust (or any subcategory of nuisance dust) causes substantial adverse public health and welfare effects at ambient concentrations; and (2) the benefits of applying CAA standards and other requirements to such dust outweigh the costs.
Defines “nuisance dust” as particulate matter: (1) generated from natural sources, unpaved roads, agricultural activities, earth moving, or other activities typically conducted in rural areas; or (2) consisting primarily of soil, other natural or biological materials, windblown dust, or some combination thereof.
For America’s farmers, like the Nelson County orchardist, the prospect of the EPA regulating farm dust is a real concern. There has always been a fine line between profit and loss for farmers; paying to comply with state and federal agricultural regulations has made that line even thinner. Add to those an inane regulation on airborne dirt and you have a recipe for the demise of America’s small-scale, non-commercial farms.
Farmers aren’t alone: a recent poll conducted by Gallup shows that the regulatory burden is the biggest concern of small-business owners, beating other critical factors like the absence of demand for their goods or services, unavailability of credit and the uncertainties of Obamacare. While Rep. Hurt and his colleagues in the House of Representatives, including H.R. 1633’s sponsor, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD), attempt to assuage the fears that are plaguing America’s job creators by tackling unnecessary federal regulations, congressional Democrats are cracking jokes.
In a recent hearing conducted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Massachusetts liberal Democrat Rep. Ed Markey joked with an EPA administrator that concern over regulation of farm dust is as ridiculous as…fairy dust:
“Since I am sure that many little girls all over America care about this deeply, can you commit to me that EPA will never try to regulate fairy dust, or pixie dust, because, if not, we may just want to amend the legislation in order to protect us against the threat which could be posed by EPA or other regulatory agencies seeking to move into other fictional areas, such as the legislation which is being considered here?” [Rep. Markey] asked.
I’m glad Rep. Markey finds humor in the genuine concerns of America’s farmers. Perhaps if he had to grow peaches in rural Virginia or manage a family business in suburban California he would understand that to the hardworking men and women who keep our nation’s economy humming along, the specter of new regulations is no laughing matter. Thankfully, Reps. Hurt, Forbes, Goodlatte, Noem, Rigell and their Republican colleagues in the House understand the negative ways that fear and uncertainty can impact an economy–especially one already struggling with anemic growth. Changing the attitude of Congress from one that embraces onerous federal regulations to one that questions them is a huge step toward getting our economy back on track and we should be proud that Virginians are leading the way.
