{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fulcher.house.gov/2020/10/28/id-547b28d4-88cc-40bc-9b28-3bd1aa4e264f/", "Western Caucus Brings Attention to Mistreatment of Dairy Industry by EPA", "2020-10-28", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Russ Fulcher", "F000469", "fulcher.house.gov", "fulcher", "https://fulcher.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Contact:\n\nAlexah Rogge\n\n202-225-6611\n\nalexah.rogge@mail.house.gov\n\nRICHLAND, WA \u2013 On October 9, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) welcomed the Western Caucus Foundation to Central Washington for its Fall Policy Roundtable: \u201cWhen Agencies Weaponize Fake Science.\u201d The roundtable aimed to bring attention to the negative impact of misguided federal government decisions and regulations on rural communities, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)\u2019s mistreatment of the dairy industry in the Pacific Northwest and across the country.\n\nAs Vice Chairman for the Congressional Western Caucus, Rep. Newhouse moderated the roundtable, which included representatives from the Western Caucus Foundation, Washington State Dairy Federation, Idaho Dairymen\u2019s Association, Darigold, and Save Family Farming, as well as Central Washington dairy farmer Adam Dolsen and fellow Western Caucus Member, Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID). Chief of Staff to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Mandy Gunasekara, joined the group virtually.\n\n\u201cI was grateful for the opportunity to engage with the Western Caucus Foundation, our panelists, and Ms. Gunasekara from EPA on an issue that has been affecting certainly my constituents in Central Washington and those in rural areas across the country: weaponized \u2018science,'\u201d said Rep. Newhouse. \u201cIt is no secret that many of the legacy regulations put in place by the Obama Administration have burdened rural America, and you don\u2019t have to look far to find an example. In our region, regional EPA employees have been unfairly punishing dairy farmers for years, forcing several dairies to permanently close their doors \u2013 all based on a flawed report. We cannot allow federal agencies\u2019 regulatory decision-making to demonize whole industries, weaponize shoddy science, or rely on data that has not even been peer-reviewed. I appreciate EPA\u2019s willingness to have these important discussions and their commitment to working with rural communities to achieve our shared goals of protecting the environment while providing for jobs and economic development.\u201d\n\n\u201cWashington, D.C. has a long history of making decisions that pit East Coast interests against the needs of the rural West,\u201d said Rep. Fulcher (R-ID). \u201cFortunately, the Trump Administration has a been a strong partner in pushing back on this lopsided status quo, but there is still work to be done. Unelected bureaucrats with their \u2018we know better\u2019 attitudes cannot continue to unilaterally dictate federal actions. I will continue to stand up on behalf of Idaho\u2019s dairy farmers \u2013 and all farmers \u2013 to fend off these misguided assaults on our rural way of life. With partners like the Western Caucus Foundation, we can continue to solve problems for Idahoans and Americans in rural communities across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn addition to informing and educating policy makers on issues unique to the American West, a key pillar of the Western Caucus Foundation\u2019s mission is to ensure local voices have a platform in the face of federal bureaucrats\u2019 outsized influence in our nation\u2019s capital,\u201d said Darrell Henry, Executive Director of the Western Caucus Foundation. \u201cThis roundtable was a perfect opportunity to hear from local representatives of dairy farmers in the Pacific Northwest and their frustrations with the weaponization of fake science by federal agencies. We commend the Trump Administration for its commitment to righting this ship and for its many efforts to respect the rights of individuals in the West.\u201d\n\n\u201cRegion 10 remains stuck in its position in allegiance with the environmental activists that are trying to destroy agriculture, not only in Washington state but across the nation,\u201d said Dan Wood, Executive Director of the Washington Dairy Federation. \u201cInstead of dealing with transparency and science, we have these dastardly political moves by EPA in the court room. Thank you, Congressman Newhouse and the Western Caucus Foundation, for hosting this roundtable, which will hopefully serve as a catalyst for the change Washington dairy farmers deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cIdaho\u2019s dairy farm families have long felt that their voice goes unheard by many federal agencies,\u201d said Rick Naerebout, CEO of Idaho Dairymen\u2019s Association. \u201cWe are grateful to Congressman Newhouse and the Western Caucus Foundation for providing a platform for these important conversations with EPA and thankful for Congressman Fulcher\u2019s leadership on behalf of the Idaho dairy industry.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy family and I \u2013 alongside farmers across the Pacific Northwest \u2013 work hard to produce dairy products for families across the world,\u201d said Adam Dolsen, Owner of Cow Palace Dairy. \u201cFor years, our industry has been targeted by environmentalist groups and federal bureaucrats touting shoddy science. Congressman Newhouse understands that we need a positive change, or the American dairy industry will cease to exist. I was grateful for the opportunity to join the Western Caucus Foundation\u2019s policy roundtable and begin having these important discussions with EPA.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen EPA makes the decision to attack an entire industry based off of false science, it affects all of agriculture,\u201d said Gerald Baron, Executive Director of Save Family Farming. \u201cWe have been working to defend Washington\u2019s dairy farmers from harmful regulations and unfair enforcement by the EPA, and this roundtable was another step toward ensuring relief for our dairy industry and for producers across the country. Thank you, Congressman Newhouse, for including us in the discussion and for your commitment to holding EPA accountable.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nIn 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report titled, \u201cRelation Between Nitrate in Water Wells and Potential Sources in the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington\u201d (EPA-910-12-003) (Yakima Valley Nitrate Report) . The Yakima Valley Nitrate Report has been used to place liability on current dairy farmers for high nitrates in Yakima Valley groundwater. While dairies can and sometimes do contribute to nitrates in groundwater, overwhelming evidence shows that levels above EPA limits in this area are almost certainly the result of past farming practices and naturally higher nitrate levels in this fertile farming production land.\n\nCursory peer reviews were performed on the report, but the complete review was missing whole sections. EPA Region 10 staff refuse to request that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)\u2019s Agricultural Research Service complete a proper peer review, per many versions of the EPA\u2019s own peer review policies. EPA Region 10 staff also had the designation of the study changed from \u201cinfluential\u201d to \u201cother,\u201d giving the EPA full discretion for the peer review process.\n\nThe Yakima Valley Nitrate Report has been used, without adequate peer review, to force dairies in Central Washington out of business and into financial peril. The report has also been used by an environmental attorney who has sued multiple additional dairy farms and used it to impose unprecedented regulations in Washington state.\n\nOn July 1, 2019, Rep. Newhouse requested that EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler perform a legitimate peer review study of the September 2012 EPA Yakima Valley Nitrate Report. In a letter, Rep. Newhouse asks Administrator Wheeler to suspend the study from enforcement action and litigation pending completion of the peer review. Click here for more details.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:34:36Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fulcher.house.gov/2020/10/28/id-547b28d4-88cc-40bc-9b28-3bd1aa4e264f/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9925842061638832, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}