WASHINGTON, March 6, 2014 – Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., Lee
Terry, R-Neb., Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., today introduced
legislation to prohibit EPA from disclosing the private information of
livestock and poultry producers.
The Farmer Identity Protection Act (H.R. 4157) comes a year
after EPA released producers’ names and other personal information to three
environmental groups. The release, which EPA granted after a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request, divulged the names, addresses, geographic
coordinates and sometimes telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of over 80,000
producers in 29 states. EPA says it lacks the authority to prevent similar
releases in the future.
But today’s legislation would “unequivocally” provide EPA
with the ability to protect farmers’ personal information in the future,
according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which supports
the law.
“There is no justification for the blatant disregard of our
privacy,” said NCBA President Bob McCan. “To turn this type of information over
to anyone who has a computer is not just reckless, but it poses serious
agro-terrorism threats.”
Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.,
introduced similar legislation in the Senate in July. It has since been
referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Though a similar privacy provision was included in the
House-passed version of the 2014 Farm Bill, no such measure was included in the
final law.
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