WASHINGTON – The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Monday on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) appeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to regulated dust under the Clean Air Act.

“NCBA supports dust control measures, and our producers carry them out every day of the year,” explains Tamara Thies, chief environmental counsel for NCBA. “But this rule would require an unattainable level of dust control, which could force producers to sell cattle to comply.”

Enforcing the standard of dust regulation would mean that activities ranging from soil tilling, cattle movements, driving on unpaved roads, and planting and harvesting crops would all be impacted.

EPA released a final rule on regulating particles in the air under the Clean Air Act in October 2006, which says that states should focus on regulating dust in urban areas instead of rural areas. However, agricultural dust is nevertheless subject to regulation under the final rule.

Source: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association