Grassley Joins Effort to Keep EPA from Regulating Milk Storage Containers

Press Release

Senator Chuck Grassley wants the EPA to stop treating agriculture like second-class citizens. Grassley joined Senator Mike Johanns to cosponsor legislation that would expedite a decision by the EPA to exempt milk containers from regulations initially intended for oil spills.

"This is just another example in a long line of EPA overreach, especially when it comes to agriculture. Dairy farmers are already struggling, so to add burdensome and unnecessary regulations would put many of these hard working dairy farmers in an extremely precarious position and in many instances could put them out of business. Plus, if farmers are forced to make unnecessary modifications to their operations, it could easily increase prices for consumers at the grocery store," Grassley said. "It defies common sense that the EPA would even consider treating milk like oil."

The EPA currently enforces Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations to prevent oil from discharging into U.S. waterways. In January 2009 the EPA indicated in a proposed rule that it would exempt milk storage from the SPCC regulations, but it has yet to make a final rule.

The legislation would require the EPA to finalize the proposed rule to exempt milk containers within 30 days and would delay EPA fines or other compliance penalties against milk containers until EPA makes a decision on the proposed exemption.

Grassley is also leading an effort to keep the EPA from placing further economic pressure on rural America if the agency would choose to impose more stringent regulations on dust. In a draft policy assessment on particulate matter, the EPA staff concluded that the administrator could either retain the current standards on particulate matter or make them more stringent. Grassley is concerned that this latest draft on particulate matter puts the EPA one step closer to imposing more unnecessary regulations on farmers.

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