Members of Congress told the Environmental Protection Agency a possible revision to air quality standards would cost American farmers and ranchers millions of dollars.
In a letter to the EPA administrator dated on Tuesday and signed by 101 Congress members, including Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas, the members urged EPA not to adopt such strict standards on dust.
The revision to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Coarse Particulate Matter or dust would reduce the level to 65-85 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The current level is 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air, according to the EPA website.
If that is implemented, farmers, ranchers and others in the industry would have to pay fines of $37,500 a day for noncompliance.
The letter said that standard is lower than naturally occurring levels of dust in some states and would make it impossible for compliance.
Plus, in rural America, the combined activities of plowing, planting, harvesting and driving down a dirt road would bring about dust. With EPA's revision, the Congress members argued the level of agriculture production would fall, food prices would increase and a number of jobs would be lost.
To read letter, click here.