Johanns: Farmers should be exempt from costly EPA fuel regs

Noting the distiction between gas stations and farms, Sen. Mike Johanns on Thursday cosponsored a pair of bills that would exempt small agriculture operations from Environmental Protection Agency rules involving fuel storage and transport.

EPA regulations meant to protect U.S. waterways from oil spills should not apply to fuel tanks on farms, the Nebraska Republican argues. And agriculture businesses shouldn’t have to apply for licenses to transport hazardous materials when carrying small amounts of diesel fuel, he said.

 “There is no question that we need to protect the land around us, but a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to acknowledge that a farm is different from a gas station and farm trucks are different from long-haul trucks, unnecessarily hurts the ag community,” Johanns said in a written statement. “These bills would save farmers tens of thousands of dollars in compliance costs.”

Under the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship (FUELS) Act , farmers’ above-ground oil storage tanks would be exempt from the EPA’s Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations, if they hold less than 10,000 gallons.  Farmers storing less than 42,000 gallons could certify their own prevention plans, under the bill, which is also co sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.).

The other bill would exempt agriculture operations from the requirements that they must obtain a hazardous material permit, if they carry less than 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel and the vehicle is clearly marked. That legislation is also cosponsored by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.).