Washington, Sep 29 -

Representatives Frank Lucas (R-OK), Sam Graves (R-MO), and Doc Hastings (R-WA), Co-Chairs of the Rural America Solutions Group, hosted a forum today entitled, “The EPA’s Assault on Rural America: How New Regulations and Proposed Legislation are Stifling Job Creation and Economic Growth.”

Experts from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C. to discuss Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and provide real-life examples of how these regulations and related legislation have affected their work, families, and communities. Representatives from the Idaho Water Users Association, the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming’s College of Business, the National Sorghum Producers, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the U.S. Coal Corporation, Lincoln Paper and Tissue, and the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation offered testimony and answered questions during the forum.

Click here to watch video footage from today’s forum.

"Every day, the EPA seems to demonstrate how vastly disconnected it is to the folks who feed us," said Representative Lucas, Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee.  "With little oversight from the Democratic leadership that controls both the House and the Senate, the EPA has become an agency gone wild, creating regulations and policies that are burdensome, overreaching, and that negatively affect jobs and rural economies.  If the EPA is allowed to continue down this path, the only choice for many farmers and ranchers will be to stop farming altogether.”

“Small businesses are the engines of job creation in America, creating seven out of every ten private sector jobs in recent years. Now more than ever, the American people need the kinds of jobs that are created by our small businesses,” said Representative Graves, Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee.  “Unfortunately, more government regulations could devastate small businesses nationwide by raising the cost of doing business and forcing employers to cut salaries and slash hiring.  In the rural communities, where double-digit unemployment has become the norm and the fight for employment is already fierce, more job-killing regulations would be nothing short of catastrophic. Today’s forum provided us the opportunity to explore the very real impact current and proposed regulations have on our families and businesses.  I hope the Administration is listening.”

“Federal EPA bureaucrats are on the verge of killing thousands of rural jobs and communities through an arcane maze of rules and regulations that can only make sense to a lawyer in Washington, D.C.,” said Representative Hastings, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “At a time when Republicans are focused on stabilizing the economy, these top-down policies will only kill long-term jobs and future economic development.   Many rural communities are not asking for massive spending and handouts in times of a $13 trillion debt; they are simply asking for the government to exercise some common sense and abandon its pursuit of higher taxes and more red tape.” 

The Rural America Solutions Group was established by House Republicans to develop solutions to the unique issues facing rural America.  To learn more about the Rural America Solutions Group, click here.

Click here to view photos from the forum.