[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”center” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]

Representatives send letter to the EPA on Wednesday expressing concern stemming from an anti-farmer billboard

[/title][fusion_text]Wednesday, April 20th 2016

One-third of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday expressing their concern stemming from an anti-farmer billboard that was installed using taxpayer funds. The letter was signed by 145 representatives – 142 of them Republican – and addresses a billboard in Washington state that was linked to the whatsupstream.com campaign. The campaign’s website encouraged Washington residents to contact their legislators to tell them to “hold the agricultural industry to the same level of responsibility as other industries.” The letter said there was confusion “why EPA would have approved an award clearly violating a number of federal laws pertaining to funding propaganda, advocacy, and lobbying efforts.” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy was pressed on the issue Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Earlier this week, the EPA’s Inspector General sent a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee chair Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Environment and Public Works Committee chair Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., notifying them that there would be an investigation into the matter. Since that investigation is ongoing, House Ag Committee Chair Mike Conaway, R-Texas, said any decision on a course of action – be it legislative or otherwise – should wait until after the conclusion.

[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]