E.P.A. Regions Seven and Eight Meet State Agriculture Directors in Kansas City, Kan.

(Kansas City, Kan., Jan. 20, 2012) - Officials from E.P.A. Regions seven and eight today hosted a meeting with the directors of state agriculture departments of Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The meeting, held at EPA's Region seven building in Kansas City, Kan., provided a forum for dialogue on E.P.A. programs and regulations as well as specific issues, interests and concerns of the agriculture sector.

E.P.A. staff participants in the meeting included: Karl Brooks, Region seven Administrator; Jim Martin, Region eight Administrator; Josh Svaty, Region seven Senior Adviser; Damon Frizzell, Region seven Agricultural Adviser; Jennifer Schuller, Region eight Agriculture Adviser; and Howard Cantor, Region eight Deputy Administrator.

"Agricultural producers deserve credit for taking significant steps to protect the environment while finding innovative ways to feed millions," said E.P.A. Region seven Administrator Karl Brooks. "American farmers and ranchers have such broad impacts on everything from daily food prices to widespread environmental impacts to emerging renewable fuel technologies that E.P.A. needs to hear the views of state agriculture directors as part of our decision making process."

E.P.A. acknowledges that agricultural producers are on the frontline of environmental stewardship and are affected by many E.P.A. programs. Frequent meetings with state agriculture directors are a critical way for E.P.A. to provide outreach and gain feedback on current issues and concerns. Specific topics of today's meeting included air quality requirements for particulate matter, renewable fuels, nutrient management, water quality and concentrated animal feeding operations.

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