Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced the Farmer Identity Protection Act,
legislation that would protect farmers and ranchers by prohibiting the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from disclosing their private and
confidential information to the public.
Earlier this year, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the personal and private
information of many livestock and poultry owners from across the nation. Sensitive
information including names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the farmers
and ranchers, their spouses, and employees on these farms or ranches was made
available to the public.
Donnelly said, “I am proud to
join Senator Grassley in introducing legislation that would protect livestock
and poultry farmers from having their personal information released by the
EPA. It is unacceptable that earlier this year, the EPA released the
personal contact information of over 80,000 livestock and poultry owners from
across the nation, including many from Indiana. This blatant violation of
privacy must not happen again, which is why I urge my colleagues on both sides
of the aisle to support this common sense legislation.”
Grassley said, “Transparency
is good for accountability, but putting the personal information of tens of
thousands of farmers in the hands of environmental activists makes no
sense. It’s par for the course at the EPA, and by the looks of the agency’s
response, they aren’t going to end this reckless behavior. It’s time for
Congress to step in and fix the problem.”
While the EPA has attempted
to correct the error, this bill would provide clear protections moving forward
for farmers and ranchers across the country. It would limit the EPA to
disclosing information about farming operations only when all personally
identifiable information is removed to prevent the identification of farmers
and ranchers and their families and employees.
Farm Bureau and several other
farm and agricultural organizations recently sent a letter to Grassley
expressing support for the legislation.
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