U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry
Hearing on EPA’s Clean Air Rules and Agriculture
July 21, 1997
 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today.   We’ve heard a lot of things about the impact of the new clean air rules on agriculture, and I welcome Ms. Browner to the Agriculture Committee to set the record straight.

It’s a little ironic that we are here today to hear testimony questioning the need for ozone and fine particulate standards more protective of human health, when just last week the Washington metropolitan region had 5 “Code Red” days in a row when ozone levels were in the danger zone.  We only need to step outside on a day like that to recognize that more needs to be done.

Even at levels below the current standard, long-term exposure to ozone causes asthma attacks and other breathing problems, loss of lung function and possible long-term lung damage.  By strengthening the current standard, the new ozone rule should prevent one million cases of significant decreases in lung function in children.

The EPA also has identified particulate matter as a pollutant contributing to a variety of respiratory illnesses and to thousands of premature deaths each year.  The new particulate matter rule is expected to prevent 15,000 premature deaths each year.

The new clean air rules take a strong step forward in addressing these public health problems.  We should not step back now from protecting our children and our elderly from the air pollution that persists across the nation.

However, I have joined other members of this Committee in asking the EPA to give careful attention to the concerns of agriculture in implementing the new clean air regulations.  Although agriculture is a very small contributor to ozone and particulate matter, we have heard a lot of information, and a lot of disinformation, on how the new rules will affect farmers.

EPA recently stated that agriculture will not be a target of EPA control strategies designed to attain the new standards.  That is good news for farmers, who have long prided themselves on being stewards of our nation’s environment.  But I want to be sure that EPA understands the realities of farming.

I hope that we will hear specific assurances today that the new clean air rules will be implemented by the EPA and states in a way that is reasonable and that recognizes agriculture’s minimal role in air pollution.  I look forward to working with EPA to make sure that farmers’ concerns continue to be heard.