WASHINGTON, D.C. — When he learned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had released basic, personal information about 80,000 ranchers and produce growers in 29 states, South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune was livid.

In a statement earlier this month, Thune called the information release “dangerous and unwarranted.” EPA officials, in a separate statement, acknowledged it released the information to comply with a Freedom of Information Request from three groups, and have since asked those groups to return it.

“It is inexcusable for the EPA to release the personal information of American families and then call for it back, knowing full well that the erroneously released information will never be fully returned,” Thune said in a statement.

“While EPA acknowledging that it erred is a first step, more must be done to protect the personal information of our farmers and ranchers now and in the future,” he continued, noting he wrote EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe to see if the EPA would continue to try to build a farmer database.

“I will continue to demand answers from the EPA on how this information was collected. There is a growing gap of trust between America’s farm and ranch families and the EPA. Much of this lack of trust is due to EPA’s aggressive regulatory agenda,” Thune said.

In its initial statement, the EPA said it did release names, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses of some 80,000 ranchers and farmers with extensive feed operations – information that it noted is widely available in separate statewide databases.

The data were requested by members of Earth Justice, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Pew Charitable Trust. The EPA said so far, the Pew Charitable Trust has returned the information.

A spokesman for Thune said on Friday that Perciasepe has not yet responded to his letter.

In part of his letter, Thune wanted to know if the EPA consulted with the USDA or the Department of Homeland Security before releasing the information to the groups, because both departments have said they oppose the federal compiling of a public database for ranchers and produce farmers.

According to the EPA’s response, the groups sought the information because they want to hold the EPA accountable for enforcing the Clean Water Act in cases involving large-scale ranch and grower operations.

A lawyer representing the NRDC and Pew wrote any suggestion that the groups want to harm individual ranchers was out-of-line.

“That providing this information to public interest groups somehow may facilitate criminal acts against facilities … that accusation is entirely unwarranted. NRDC and Pew condemn such illegal activities,” wrote attorney Jon Devine.

Meanwhile, Sarah Bittleman, a former USDA senior advisor for energy policy and the EPA’s current senior agricultural counselor, acknowledged the relationship between the EPA and the nation’s ranchers and growers lacks trust. Without referencing the information release, she said in a conference call last week, “My job is to restore some of that trust.”

Relationships would be strengthened, she said, by the EPA working more closely with the USDA, conservation districts and state ag departments, which have better relationships with farmers.

“By partnering with these other folks who work so closely with agriculture, we can little by little grow a base of increased and better trust relationships,” Bittleman said.