Cut to the Chase for January 26th, 2010

EPA, TMDL and AFBF

By Garrett Hawkins

The numbers are astonishing--America’s farmers and ranchers are producing 262 percent more food with 2 percent fewer inputs than they did in 1950. You would expect the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to applaud farmers for doing more with less and shrinking their environmental footprint. All too often though, our nation’s environmental authority would rather give a contemptible slap on the hand instead of a deserving pat on the back.

Farmers in the Chesapeake Bay area can attest to the heavy-handed approach taken by EPA. Producers in the 64,000 square mile watershed (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia) have a strong history of environmental stewardship, both through compliance with existing state regulations and through implementation of voluntary conservation practices to protect water quality.

Despite the measurable improvements to water quality, EPA leadership in Washington, D.C. essentially decided the six states’ efforts aren’t good enough and it’s time for the federal government to step in.

EPA recently finalized a pollution control plan, or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), to dictate how much nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment can lawfully enter Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The so-called “pollution diet” puts more power in the hands of the EPA by limiting states’ abilities to address water quality issues.

Under the TMDL, detailed watershed plans must be followed by the six states or else permits may be blocked or federal funds cut. Even more troubling is the ability of federal bureaucrats to micromanage the activities of farmers, homeowners and businesses.

EPA’s power grab on the East Coast may not seem like a big deal from 1,000 miles away, but it will be a model for other watersheds. In an interview with National Public Radio, the EPA administrator cited the Chesapeake Bay “pollution diet” as an example of the kind of regulatory action she would like to see along the Gulf Coast.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) believes the rule is unlawful and is challenging the TMDL in federal court. AFBF President Bob Stallman made the announcement at the organization’s annual meeting earlier this month when he talked about the out-of-control EPA.

At the same meeting 370 farmer and rancher voting delegates representing all 50 states and all types of production agriculture unanimously approved a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to pursue a vigorous oversight program of the agency and examine the impact of existing regulations on production agriculture.

Our message to Congress is EPA must be reined in. The Chesapeake Bay pollution control plan is one of many reasons why. Our lawmakers can hold EPA accountable, and should, if they care about keeping food, fiber and energy production in this country.

(Garrett Hawkins, of Jefferson City, Mo., is director of national legislative programs for Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)