A provision in the Omnibus Appropriations package says EPA will have to reveal details about its aerial surveillance program.  Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns asked for that after EPA earlier had gathered aerial information and released private data to environmental groups. National Cattlemen Beef Associations Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall is pleased that transparency measure is the bill.

Woodall says while the legislation is a good start at slowing down EPA what’s really needed is a tougher measure to prevent them from gathering private information in the first place.

Under the Omnibus legislative language EPA has to identify the amount of funding spent to contract for aerial over flights, the contractor performing the work, number of flights performed and geographical areas surveyed.