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Iowa lawmakers, farmers put ‘faces’ on ag for EPA

By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When a top-ranking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official admitted she hadn’t stepped foot on an American farm since 1968, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) thought it was the perfect time for her to visit Iowa to learn firsthand about agriculture – especially before another emissions law was written.

“The EPA has tremendous power and authority over issues that will have a major impact on the rural economy,” Grassley said. “I want to make sure those making the decisions have a clear understanding of the impact of their rules and regulations.”

Margo Oge, director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, made her May 6 confession before the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, concerning air quality rules involving the biofuel industry. Shortly before that, Oge had been given the task by then-EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson of measuring alleged direct and indirect emissions coming from biofuel facilities as outlined under the 2007 Energy Security and Independence Act.

The act would exempt existing corn ethanol plants, but newer facilities would be required to produce 20 percent “greener” fuel than gasoline. The EPA also said soy biodiesel had to be 50 percent biofuel, and older plants couldn’t be exempt from the rule.
As a result, Oge would be mainly in charge of writing the final rule for any new renewable fuel standard involving direct and indirect emissions, which would require all biofuel to have lower carbon emissions than petroleum fuel.

But Grassley, who formerly chaired the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and still owns and operates his Butler County family farm, said some government agency heads don’t even understand the basic concepts of farming.

“I think it’s very important that, when you’re making regulations like this (air quality), that you ought to have a closer look at American agriculture,” he said. “And the best place to do that is in Iowa.”

On Sept. 3, Grassley and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey hosted Oge, Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Accompanying them were officials from Iowa State University, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Iowa Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) and the Iowa Soybean Assoc. (ISA). Others included Monsanto and Pioneer representatives, who talked about corn and soybean seed technology.

Along with visiting a central Iowa family farm, the group toured ISU’s new BioCentry Research Farm and the Central Iowa Energy Biorefinery in Newton, complete with sessions about renewable fuels, corn and soybean technology and the EPA’s own AgSTAR program, and received comments regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard.

One of their first stops after the informative sessions was to Rick and Grant Kimberley’s fifth-generation farm in Maxwell, where the owners talked about how their family farm has changed through the years to stay viable, “growing in acreage and increasing in yields.” They also discussed no-till techniques for soybeans, larger equipment and seed technology that necessitates fewer passes through the field.

ICGA President Don Elsbernd and ISA directors Ron Heck and Ray Gaesser talked about corn and soybean production and expressed concerns with the methodology used to arrive at the proposed regulations. Heck described ISA’s On-Farm Network and ISA’s Environmental Programs, saying the ISA is “looking at ways to do more with less and do it properly.”

For McCarthy, the day-long tour was the beginning of a new discussion about U.S. agriculture. “It is an opportunity to internalize your messages,” she told Grassley, Northey and the other representatives touring with them. “We assure you that we will treat them with the importance they deserve.”

Oge, who as a child spent a lot of time on her grandfather’s farm in Greece, said listening to the Kimberleys reminded her of home.
“You are the stewards of the land,” she said. “We don’t want to undermine your work. We will continue this dialogue.”

Their last stop was to the Renewable Energy Group’s 30-million-gallon per year biodiesel plant near Newton. While there, Oge and McCarthy requested that all of the day’s comments also be submitted in writing before the EPA’s Sept. 25 deadline, to be given full consideration.

Grant Kimberley, who is also ISA director of market development, said the ISA heard the EPA officials’ visit to his farm was the highlight of their trip.

“We were able to break down some walls and put a personal face on the issues,” he said. “We could see them arrive at a new level of understanding regarding crediting soybeans for nitrogen fixation, yield and efficiency increases, difficulty in feedstock tracking and verification, importance to the economy and even indirect land use.
“They loved the equipment and technology, and efficiency aspects of agriculture. They certainly were very engaged and seemed sincere in their comments.”

Published on Sept. 30, 2009

10/14/2009