Labrador Votes to Prevent Dust Regulation By EPA

Press Release

Congressman Raúl Labrador of Idaho's First Congressional District voted in favor of the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 today, citing concerns that federal overreach in the form of regulatory excess would impede Idaho's economic growth. The bill, sponsored by Congresswoman Kristi Noem (SD-At Large), is co-sponsored by 121 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Congressman Labrador.

If enacted, this legislation would "delay for one year the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the national primary ambient air quality standard or the national secondary ambient air quality standard applicable to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter greater than 2.5 micrometers under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for one year."

"Idahoans know that dust is a reality of Western life. We see dust on our dirt roads, when we farm our land or when we maintain our ranches. Only in Washington, D.C. could such a bizarre and nonsensical regulation, such as the one to regulate dust, ever be thought up and, worse, implemented," Labrador said. "I am proud to cosponsor Congresswoman Noem's bill because I know that, unless we stop them, the federal government could designate many more nonattainment areas. This would ultimately devastate Idaho's agricultural and natural resource industries for years to come."

The bipartisan bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 268 to 150 and now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Similar measures already exist and enjoy bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.

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