EPA to crack down on farm dust

[MadMonk]

Sounds like some EPA regulator got angry after driving through a dust cloud with a freshly-washed car and decided to come up with a new rule.
http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12899662

[Kerry]

I am sure when the Founding Fathers were risking life and limb to escape the tyranny of King George III this is what they had in mind as a replacement government.

[OKCisOK4me]

Did the EPA exist back during the Dust Bowl???

[Midtowner]

Did the EPA exist back during the Dust Bowl???

No, it was founded during the Nixon administration. I understand it was created mostly in response to the skyline shot preceding a Monday Night Football game featuring the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. In that shot, the Cuyahoga River was actually burning.

The Dust Bowl happened primarily because we had no environmental or soil conservation policy for agriculture.

[Jersey Boss]

This issue has come up before; in 2009 a federal court upheld the EPA’s right to regulate farm dust when the Bush administration tried to regulate airborne soot and dust:

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Pork Producers Council challenged EPA in 2006 over its decision to regulate coarse particulate matter — or dust — in rural areas, arguing that the agency had failed to show any negative health effects associated with the dust (Greenwire, Dec. 15, 2006). EPA had considered exempting farming and mining operations, but the agency ultimately decided it could not exclude particular industries

Pat Austin- Potluck

[bluedogok]

The Dust Bowl happened primarily because we had no environmental or soil conservation policy for agriculture.

In combination with a severe drought, farming by itself didn't cause the problem, a combination of factors did.

[Midtowner]

In combination with a severe drought, farming by itself didn't cause the problem, a combination of factors did.

The drought wouldn't have affected things if the buffalo grass had been left in place to hold down the topsoil. Drought was and is not uncommon to that region. Without at least something of a soil conservation policy, the dust bowl would happen again.

[HewenttoJared]

After searching through all the related articles I haven't found any actual links to the proposed regulation. The only proposed regulation on the EPA's site is the regulation of lead dust due to construction/demolition activities and they refused to exempt farms from this. That sounds rather reasonable to me. It's amazing that it never mentions the full name of the reg in any of the articles addressing the issue. Actually it isn't, because it looks like if the name(Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program) was mentioned then people would realize that this is a regulation of lead dust and most would just be okay with it. Instead they chose to name the overall Act which legalized the regulation of these kinds of activities, making it look as though they were just regulating dust.

This is only 5-10 minutes of searching through EPA proceedings though, so maybe I am mistaken and they are actually regulating dust from any road or field at any time. (doubtful)

[OKCisOK4me]

No, it was founded during the Nixon administration. I understand it was created mostly in response to the skyline shot preceding a Monday Night Football game featuring the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. In that shot, the Cuyahoga River was actually burning.

The Dust Bowl happened primarily because we had no environmental or soil conservation policy for agriculture.

I should have made a note that I was being sarcastic. I was hoping the 3 question marks would have been sufficient, lol.

[Midtowner]

I should have made a note that I was being sarcastic. I was hoping the 3 question marks would have been sufficient, lol.

More often than not, the obvious eludes me.

[Kerry]

After searching through all the related articles I haven't found any actual links to the proposed regulation. The only proposed regulation on the EPA's site is the regulation of lead dust due to construction/demolition activities and they refused to exempt farms from this. That sounds rather reasonable to me. It's amazing that it never mentions the full name of the reg in any of the articles addressing the issue. Actually it isn't, because it looks like if the name(Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program) was mentioned then people would realize that this is a regulation of lead dust and most would just be okay with it. Instead they chose to name the overall Act which legalized the regulation of these kinds of activities, making it look as though they were just regulating dust.

This is only 5-10 minutes of searching through EPA proceedings though, so maybe I am mistaken and they are actually regulating dust from any road or field at any time. (doubtful)

Even lead dust regulations are over the top. I just watched a program on how lead batteries are made and not a worker in the plant was using any kind of mask or breathing device. They went over how lead enters the body and the amount you would have to breath in before it became harmful, and nearly all lead leaves your body within 2 weeks. If working their entire life inside a lead battery plant doesn't put them at risk, I don't see how anyone else could be.

[HewenttoJared]

Well at least you're not claiming that they are regulating all dust anymore. Progress...even if you are doubting the harmfulness of lead in the food chain.