Smith Votes To Block EPA Over-Regulation Of Farm Dust

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), co-chairman of the Congressional Rural Caucus, today issued the following statement after passage of the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act (H.R. 1633) in the U.S. House of Representatives:

“During a time of economic hardship, additional regulatory overreach is not the answer,” said Smith. “Farmers and ranchers already are subject to strict federal and state regulations to control dust. It makes no sense for the EPA to impose costlier requirements on top of existing standards. This commonsense piece of legislation would provide certainty for Nebraskans and shield them from excessive federal red-tape.”

Smith is a cosponsor of H.R. 1633, which passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support: 268-150. The EPA recently announced it would not regulate farm dust, but instead retain the current standard for coarse particulate matter which adequately protects the public health and welfare. Without legislation, however, nothing prohibits the EPA from regulating farm dust in the future.

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