Pete Hoekstra

Pete's Perspective: EPA Milks Regulatory Authority

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Washington, Jun 11 - Throughout my tenure representing Michigan’s Second Congressional District, I have had the pleasure of meeting with and advocating on behalf of countless Michigan farmers.  It continues to become clearer by the day just how little our current administrations in Lansing and Washington actually understand the agriculture industry and its impact in the state.

For example, time and time again farmers come to me with concerns regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and how so many of their actions are restricting the potential of Michigan’s vibrant and diverse agricultural industry.

The latest case of the EPA overreaching is demonstrated in a proposed rule that classifies milk as an oil and labels it an environmental hazard.  Such a bureaucrat-interpretation will require dairy farmers to implement costly compliance measures on their farms to prevent potential milk spills.  The fact that the EPA believes milk to be as potentially harmful as petroleum-based oils clearly indicates a dangerous detachment from agriculture, a major industry that they are mostly charged with responsibly overseeing.

Under President Bush’s EPA, the issue was highlighted and an exemption for dairy farmers was requested.  Unfortunately, among the first acts of the Obama Administration was to withdraw the proposal, thereby requiring many Michigan dairy farmers to comply with the onerous requirement starting in November.

I fully understand and respect the EPA’s responsibility for the protection of not only the environment, but the people who live in it.  However, requiring farmers to implement oil spill prevention plans in the event of spilled milk is simply extreme.  For this reason I have signed on as an original co-sponsor of a bill (H.R. 5426) that would prohibit the enforcement of such overly burdensome regulations on dairy and dairy product producers.

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