National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Files Petition with Supreme Court
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Coalition for Responsible Regulation filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court aimed at preventing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using the Clean Air Act, to force cattle ranchers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their cattle.
The NCBA’s Deputy Environmental Counsel Ashley McDonald says that the group is challenging EPA on the grounds that their regulation isn’t backed up with science-based information. While McDonald could not put a dollar amount on the regulation’s impact on the cattle industry, she says that it would have a negative economic impact on cattle business.
In addition to the proposed EPA regulation, McDonald says the industry is also concerned that this regulation could grow over time, noting President Obama’s strong commitment to address climate change. The NCBA sees the EPA regulation as an attack on ranchers’ ability to produce safe and affordable food, and say that these are overarching regulations that need to be curtailed.