May 15, 2018
An EPA regulation that prompted agriculture groups to cry foul at the notion the federal government could regulate dust on the farm is expected to undergo reform.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced in a memorandum on Wednesday a process the agency will follow in reworking the national ambient air quality standards in the Clean Air Act, or NAAQ. The standards have been a headache for farmers and ranchers in some regions of the country, particularly in the Southwest.
Agriculture groups claimed EPA was trying to regulate farm dust — an idea that became a rallying cry for those who believed the agency was taking an overly zealous regulatory approach.
