Wisconsin Ag Connection - Kind: EPA's Oil Spill Prevention Plans for Dairy is 'Ridiculous'

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Kind: EPA's Oil Spill Prevention Plans for Dairy is 'Ridiculous'
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/14/2010

A Wisconsin lawmaker says the Environmental Protection Agency is being 'inappropriate' in releasing a proposal to require dairy farmers to submit an oil spill prevention and clean-up plan for their bulk tanks. Last week, Congressman Ron Kind sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asking her to rethink the policy. He says the agency's new oil spill response program includes a provision that would require dairy producers to submit a cumbersome 'Spill, Prevention, Control and Countermeasure' policy for the unlikely event of a butterfat spill.

"It is inappropriate to treat butterfat as if it poses as much danger to the nation's natural resources as oil and I urge the EPA to exempt milk from this regulation," Kind wrote. "The important purpose of oil spill response plans is to prevent and mitigate the damage from spills. However, over broad attempts to regulate farmers and butterfat damage the EPA's credibility as it attempts to deal with legitimate oil spill issues of great national importance."

According to EPA regulations, farms with a storage capacity of at least 1,320 gallons of oil products would be required to put together a countermeasure plan to guard against potential spills. Under the law, butterfat in milk is considered a form of oil.

The agency's proposed program comes in wake of the gulf oil spill. But Kind says a bad milk spill would not cause any significant damage to the environment.

"The tremendous burden of requiring dairy farmers to complete oil response plans vastly outweighs any nominal potential environmental impact that might occur in the unlikely event of a butterfat spill," the La Crosse Democrat added. "I hope we can work to better foster a positive dialogue between the EPA and Congress as you look to implement future rules and regulations."

Meanwhile, Kind says he is co-sponsoring legislation that would prohibit the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air act for two years after the agency recently came out with strict guidelines that would have placed a burden on the livestock industry.

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