According to the Washington Post, this Thursday on Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee is set to vote on one of three bills that is aimed at preventing the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating dust.
However, while Republicans are attempting to shoot down the EPA's authority over dust, the EPA has continued to assert that it doesn't have a dust rule and that it doesn't intend to regulate it. In light of this recent news, here are some recent developments on how efforts to stop the EPA's dust regulation have continued to spiral:
* In March, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson spoke in front of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture and emphasized the agency's support for the agricultural industry and denounced claims that the EPA would regulate dust from ranches and farms, according to Yahoo! News.
* The concerns about the "dust rule" stemmed from misunderstandings about the agency's rulemaking process.
* In order to change the rules and regulations for agriculture dust, the EPA would be required to formally propose the new rule, a step the EPA hasn't taken and isn't likely to take either.
* Currently only California and Arizona require farmers to take some measures to control dust.
* In mid-October, the EPA sent a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee saying that it would keep soot standards in place but would not increase regulation on larger particulates, including dust from farms and ranches, according to Reuters.
* PolitiFact Georgia reported that in a September debate, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain commented that the EPA has gotten out of control with its regulations and rules and inaccurately stated the EPA would begin regulating dust on Jan. 1, 2012.
* The Des Moines Register also noted that former U.S. Speaker of the House and Republican presidential candidate New Gingrich accused the EPA of wanting to regulate dust, a move that would hurt agriculture, during a speech at a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa.
* Both presidential hopefuls Cain and Gingrich have used the "dust rule" to attack the EPA and government regulations that they believe are killing jobs in America.
* Despite the EPA's continuous statements that it isn't regulating dust, Politico reported that it hasn't swayed Republicans who are still concerned that the EPA still has the power to begin regulating it at any time.
* Republicans are now pushing bills, according to National Hog Farmer News, including House Bill 1633: the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, which would exclude naturally occurring dust that results from farming from EPA regulations.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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