The just-passed WRDA Bill in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee received one no vote. That was from Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer, who’s concerned a provision was left in the measure that allows the EPA’s spill control and countermeasure rule to go forward. Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association’s Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Jessie Herrmann says that provision is harmful to agriculture.
She says they’ve been battling the SPCC provision for some time and earlier Senator Fischer tried to fix it by exempting above ground storage capacity to 6,000 gallons. Herrmann says the EPA then changed it to 2500 gallons and got it placed in the WRDA Bill.
Herrmann says her group will work with Senator Fischer and others to stop the provision with an amendment when the WRDA bill reaches the Senate floor in the next couple of weeks.
Herrmann says the Cattlemen’s Association thinks the WRDA bill itself is a good piece of legislation. The bill passed out of committee on a 19 to 1 vote.
