Some of the previous decisions and regulations made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have had a negative impact on the nation’s dairy industry and changes must be prioritized, stakeholders said during a recent virtual roundtable moderated by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA).
The congressman, who is vice chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, on Oct. 9 welcomed the Western Caucus Foundation to central Washington for its Fall Policy Roundtable, “When Agencies Weaponize Fake Science,” which aimed to raise awareness about the negative impact on rural communities of federal government decisions and regulations, including by the EPA.
“I appreciate EPA’s willingness to have these important discussions and their commitment to working with rural communities to achieve our shared goals of protecting the environment while providing for jobs and economic development,” Rep. Newhouse said on Oct. 28.
The roundtable included representatives from the Western Caucus Foundation, the Washington State Dairy Federation, the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, Save Family Farming, and Darigold, the marketing and processing arm of the Northwest Dairy Association. Other attendees included central Washington dairy farmer Adam Dolsen, Western Caucus member U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID), and Mandy Gunasekara, chief of staff to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to engage with the Western Caucus Foundation, our panelists, and Ms. Gunasekara from EPA on an issue that has been affecting certainly my constituents in central Washington and those in rural areas across the country: weaponized science,” said Rep. Newhouse. “It is no secret that many of the legacy regulations put in place by the Obama administration have burdened rural America, and you don’t have to look far to find an example.”
Specifically, the EPA’s 2012 report, “Relation Between Nitrate in Water Wells and Potential Sources in the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington,” has been used to place liability on dairy farmers for high nitrates in Yakima Valley groundwater, according to information provided by Rep. Newhouse’s office.
While dairies can and sometimes do contribute to nitrates in groundwater, evidence also shows that levels above EPA limits in this area could be the result of past farming practices and naturally higher nitrate levels, according to the information.
And because EPA Region 10 staff also changed the study’s designation from “influential” to “other,” the agency has discretion over a peer review process, which EPA Region 10 staff have not requested from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), according to the information. The lack of an ARS peer review, in turn, has allowed the study to be used against the industry, causing economic hardship, according to Newhouse’s office.
“In our region, regional EPA employees have been unfairly punishing dairy farmers for years, forcing several dairies to permanently close their doors — all based on a flawed report,” Rep. Newhouse said. “We cannot allow federal agencies’ regulatory decision-making to demonize whole industries, weaponize shoddy science, or rely on data that has not even been peer-reviewed.”