EPA’s Jackson lays out five ‘fictions’ about the agency's agenda

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson sought Thursday to debunk a series of “fictions” about agency regulations that she said were pushed by “special interests with an investment in the outcome.”

“I would like to take a moment today to address some of the mischaracterizations that have been, at times, unaddressed, or that need to be addressed again,” Jackson said during a House Agriculture Committee hearing on EPA regulations.

Jackson has come under fire in recent months from lawmakers in farm states, who fear that upcoming EPA regulations will impose major costs on farmers' operations.

But Jackson made a concerted effort Thursday to push back against criticism of the agency’s regulations.

“[F]acts matter and we all have a responsibility to ensure that the American people have facts and the truth in front of them, particularly when fictions are pushed by special interests with an investment in the outcome.”

Jackson laid out five myths about the agency:

Myth 1: EPA will impose a so-called “cow tax,” in which emissions from cows will be regulated.

“The truth is — EPA is proposing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a responsible, careful manner and we have even exempted agricultural sources from regulation,” Jackson said.

Myth 2: The EPA will regulate spilled milk under regulations for oil containment facilities.

“This is simply incorrect,” Jackson said, noting that the agency has moved to specifically exempt milk containers from the law.

Myth 3: The agency will expand regulations on dust from farms.

“We have no plans to do so,” Jackson said. But she stressed that the Clean Air Act requires the agency to review the science upon which current regulations, including dealing with dust from farms, are based. EPA is currently reviewing that science, Jackson said.

Myth 4: The agency will impose regulations blocking pesticides from drifting away from farms.

“While no one supports pesticides wafting into our schools and communities, EPA does not support a ‘no-spray drift policy,’ ” Jackson said. “EPA has been on the record numerous times saying this, but the incorrect belief that EPA desires to regulate all spray drift persists.”

Myth 5: The EPA will impose limits on pollution from “nutrients” like fertilizer and animal manure.

“Again, let me be clear: EPA is not working on any federal numeric nutrient limits,” Jackson said. She added that the agency will release a memo stressing that these limits are best determined by the state.

There are federal nutrient limits in Florida, Jackson noted. “The case of Florida is unique – the last administration made a determination that federal numeric nutrient standards were necessary in Florida, requiring EPA to develop such standards,” she said.