Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, moved the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2012 through committee today. The bill contains several provisions essential for preserving responsible access to public grazing and is expected to be considered by the full House within the next two weeks.… Read more »

“Earlier this year, the USDA issued the proposed rule, “Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.”  This proposed rule would have forced schools to limit servings of potatoes, corn, green peas and lima beans. This drastic change to the school meal programs would have incurred significant costs to all school districts. Due to the radical changes… Read more »

USDA Proposed Rule would have limited potatoes, corn, green peas and lima beans to one cup per week, rule not based on science and made no economic sense Read more »

Bi-Partisan congressional caucuses build coalitions for ag commodities by educating Members and staff about issues impacting the industries Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is joining his colleagues in opposing EPA’s efforts to regulate dust by becoming a cosponsor of H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011. This legislation would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its current review from imposing more stringent dust standards for one year.  Simpson, like many of his western colleagues,… Read more »

“Congress never intended for pesticide applications that are already regulated under FIFRA to also require permits under the Clean Water Act. Yet because the court did not interpret congressional intent correctly, we must act now to ensure that farmers, ranchers, and forest managers—as well as mosquito abatement districts and local governments—won’t face unnecessary and duplicative regulations that would make it more difficult to do their jobs,” said Congressman Simpson during debate on the bill last night. “Everyone here supports protecting our water supply from polluters who are acting in violation of our nation’s environmental laws and regulations. But adding another layer of regulation by requiring NPDS permits for application of these pesticides doesn’t make them safer—it only piles unnecessary paperwork on top of day-to-day operations for small businesses, farmers, and local governments.” Read more »

“Most farmers and ranchers I talk to are scared to death about the possibility that the Environmental Protection Agency would be able to regulate their irrigation ditches, drainage ponds, and even groundwater, and I understand why,” said Simpson. “In the West, water is critical to our way of life. Allowing the federal government to claim jurisdiction over state waters would have a devastating impact on rural communities throughout our state and the food supply throughout our nation. For that reason and others, I have moved to insert language in the House Continuing Resolution that will prevent any attempt by the EPA to claim additional jurisdiction over state waters and increase its already excessive authority over Western farmers, families, and businesses.” Read more »

“Idaho Dairymen and their counterparts across the nation face unique challenges,” said Simpson. “Producers are facing fluctuating prices, growing input costs, increasingly onerous regulations, and changes in international trade policy that combine to create a very difficult business climate. Congress has enormous influence over many of these issues, and it is important that those of us who represent dairy producers have a forum in which we can come together to learn, listen, and lead." Read more »

“Families have been left guessing on the ever-changing rules when attempting to make plans for the future of their businesses. We believe that clear policy direction is needed to ensure that farmers and ranchers around the nation are able to make sound planning decisions for the future.” Read more »

“I am frustrated that folks at the EPA continue to feel as though they need to regulate something simply because they can measure it,” said Simpson. “Rural western communities are already struggling to meet the existing air quality standards, and now the EPA wants to implement a standard that is twice as stringent, even though the science supports the current standard. As usual, the EPA has failed to recognize the real-world impacts of their regulations.” Read more »