WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation that will protect rural America from continued uncertainty and potential costly expansion of federal dust regulations. H.R. 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, passed the House with bipartisan support by a vote of 268 to 150.
H.R. 1633, authored by Reps. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Robert Hurt (R-VA), Leonard Boswell (D-IA), and Larry Kissel (D-NC), will resolve the regulatory uncertainty surrounding EPA’s current and future regulation of rural dust. The bill will prevent EPA from changing its standard for coarse particulate matter for one year and will exempt “nuisance dust" from federal regulation where such dust is already regulated under state, tribal, or local law.
The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders made up of over 190 organizations including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act is a commonsense bill that removes a regulatory threat to growth and prosperity across rural America. This bill provides much-needed certainty for farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses so they can thrive and create jobs. I want to thank Representative Noem and the more than 120 other members who helped lead the charge in this important fight against regulation that threatens our nation’s rural economy," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).
Watch Upton’s remarks on the House floor here.
