Posted on 05/30/2012 6:59:43 PM PDT by SteelToe
A bipartisan group of Capitol Hill lawmakers is pressing EPA Director Lisa Jackson to answer questions about privacy issues and other concerns after the agency used aerial surveillance to monitor livestock operations over their home state of Nebraska.
“Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska pride themselves in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources. As you might imagine, this practice has resulted in privacy concerns among our constituents and raises several questions,” says the letter signed by Republican Reps. Adrian Smith, Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry, as well as Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and GOP Sen. Mike Johanns.
Smith, co-chairman of the Modern Agriculture Caucus and the Congressional Rural Caucus, said Tuesday the operations in many cases are near homes so “landowners deserve legitimate justification given the sensitivity of the information gathered by the flyovers.”
The letter asks nearly two-dozen questions including why the inspections are being conducted, how many flights have occurred and whether they have resulted in any enforcement activities.
“Nebraskans are rightfully skeptical of an agency which continues to unilaterally insert itself into the affairs of rural America,” Smith added.
The Environmental Protection Agency uses aerial surveillance across a swath of the Midwest know as Section 7 – which includes Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri -- and has defended the practice as cost-efficient.
The agency declined to comment Wednesday. The letter gave the agency until June 10 to respond.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
EPA ping.
..they are looking for a way to fine people for some crime they conjure up.......this administration is full of crooks and thieves.
I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind
And I don’t need to see any more
To know that
I can read your mind, [looking at you] I can read your mind,[looking at you] I can read your mind [looking at you] I can read your mind
It is clear to me that we have WAY to many government employees.
Multiple auto Twin 50’s on every farm/ranch.
Boo Hoo.
Possibly Nebraskans will now be inclined to rethink putting two Democrats into the US Senate. Who would be a Democrat in Nebraska anyway? And then to elect them as senators!
Good grief, is there anybody left in Nebraska that doesn’t know that party is communist now, after already plain as the nose on their face, after decades, of being socialists?
I lot of ranchers and farmer vote for Democrats because they keep the farm money flowing.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
Obama and Agenda 21 file
http://www.nachumlist.com/agenda21.htm
Same is true in SD, ND, MT, likely KS.
How sad it would be if something happened to big sister’s toy. :(
Well surely they expect to find jihadist cows since they are using Patriot Act police state powers to spy on farms and ranches.
I think the EPA should be permitted to do this only in non-polluting, quiet electric airplanes. They are polluting the skies while using fuel that could otherwise be used for more productive purposes.
Why do you say Nebraska has two democrat senators? Check your facts next time before making such ridiculous comments.
..that’s a good question to send to their Reps....why are they using Patriot Act funds to spy on farmers?. Be interesting to see what they say...
Actually solar powered airplanes. Not coal burning electric ones.
Ben Nelson is a Democrat the other Senator is a Republican.
“Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska pride themselves in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources. As you might imagine, this practice has resulted in privacy concerns among our constituents and raises several questions,”
Nice sentiments, expressed like a gentleman; however, perhaps the EPA might have been more responsive to something along the lines of, “Get your effing spies out of our effing asses immediately or you’ll be counting cow pies instead of cows!”
We also have way, way, too many federal agencies who have acquired, way, way, too much unconstitutional powers. EPA should be the first agency closed down. It's employees should be barred from holding any future government jobs.
Someone needs to make a picture of a suicide bomber cow.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.