EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is to visit a Rocheport, Mo, farm today and speak to the Kansas City Agribusiness Council on Thursday in defense of new clean water regulations. Farm groups loudly oppose the Waters of the United States proposal as a power grab. The EPA says the rule reflects a Supreme Court decision and does not expand its reach. McCarthy told reporters that she wants to “ditch the myths.” The State newspaper quoted her as saying “we haven’t had the best relationship with the agriculture industry in the past.”
The trip is the latest effort by EPA leaders to build rapport with agriculture, says the Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader. Iowa State University economist Bruce Babcock told the newspaper the consolidation of the livestock industry is one of the causes for acrimony between farmers and EPA. Growers bristle at the phrase “factory farm” and dislike regulation of activities that drew no attention when they operated on a smaller scale.