Often cast as the regulatory bogeyman in rural America, the EPA has not done a good job in battling its poor reputation, says administrator Gina McCarthy. The Morning Consult quotes McCarthy as telling reporters, “I think we have not done as well as we could developing a rural strategy in cooperation with other agencies, and certainly have more presence in rural communities.”
Farm groups view USDA as their friend, perhaps because it runs the farm subsidy program or because it offers cost-share programs for soil and water stewardship, and regard EPA as an adversary that interferes with crop and livestock production. Farm groups were in the vanguard in opposing EPA’s Water of the United States rule, which is expected to be withdrawn after President-elect Trump takes office and appoints a new EPA administrator.
During a House Agriculture Committee hearing in February, Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz told McCarthy that EPA should show more “regulatory humility” and Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski said the agency had a “gigantic tone problem,” said Morning Consult.