During the May 19th USDA press conference discussing the fertilizer production expansion program, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin focused his comments on several relevant issues including Waters of the United States, Diesel Exhaust Fluid, and The Right to Repair. Zeldin discussed the hurdles farmers face in their day-to-day production and made several comments on how the administration is actively working to make the farming way of living more profitable.
“Over the course of last year, when I was traveling to all 50 states or, as President Trump once joked, all 51 states plus Mexico, during our travels last year, I’ll say there’s no issue that we heard more feedback from frustration, anger, than diesel exhaust fluid.
You know, the first time I heard a story from a farmer, it sounded like he knew of a farmer in the community who once had a tractor that stopped working at an inopportune time. But as I heard the stories over and over and over again, what was clear as day, and you have great senators and members of the House, leaders of the United States Congress here, it’s farmers who have tractors that stop working four times in one year in the middle of harvest. So at the Trump EPA, I announced alongside Secretary Rollins, Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Senator Joni Ernst at the Iowa State Fair last August that we were significantly reversing the diesel exhaust fluid derailments.
Now we needed more data. So at the beginning of this year, we sent a demand letter to 14 engine manufacturers to get their warranty data on the ways that they have had breakdowns, and fortunately, we have now received all the information that we need to move forward with rulemaking to go even further,” said Zeldin.
Right to repair, something else very important to President Trump, he heard these stories of how a farmer with a tractor wouldn’t be able to fix their own equipment. They weren’t even able to go to someone in their local community to be able to fix their equipment. They would have to travel a longer distance, more time, more costs to go to a particular authorized dealer. President Trump said it was outrageous, and he’s right. So we fixed it, and the American farmer has the right to repair their own tractor. We are soon going to be introducing a new proposal, and it will be out there for public comment for farmers across this country to comment on to completely eliminate diesel exhaust fluid derailments altogether,” said Zeldin.
“We’ve been working closely with USDA and especially these members of Congress and working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers on waters of the United States.
We have farmers who, because of past administrations over-regulating their land, a farmer has to go out and hire an attorney or a consultant, pay them to tell them whether or not water on their property is a water of the United States. Well, President Trump wants simplicity. He wants that farmer to have an easier way of life, and we’ve heard it time and again. Whether it’s fertilizer, it’s right to repair, it’s diesel exhaust fluid, it’s federal regulation, we’re going to do everything in our power to prove that we can both pursue thriving farms and cleaner, healthier, safer land, air, and water. We will not relent any day,” said Zeldin.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin and Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.