NCBA is happy to be here. Since we are the lone livestock representative I felt I should update you on the cattle industry. I am John Pemberton, and I handle our water and air regulatory, legislative, and judicial issues.

ISSUES:

• USDA/EPA unified strategy for animal feeding operations
     All regulations and policies that will come out of this document
• TDML's - waiting for the new regulations and working with Geoff Grubbs on this.
• Effluent limitation guidelines - The ELG's are being rewritten for livestock for the first time in over 20 years.

All these issues we are working to educate regulators. Many regulators do not know about the cattle industry yet are centrally involved in the regulations affecting them.

LEGISLATION -

• Working in preparation for Clean Water Act reauthorization.
• Participated in Senate hearing last week on the Clean Water Action Plan Hearing had two results -
  
  • Demonstrated the lack of funding at USDA & EPA to carry out these programs. The small producer will not survive without some help
  • These proposals will cause consolidation of livestock because the small producer will not be able to afford the regulatory requirements.

We are happy to see the improvements of Data and Science, yet we still have a ways to go. NCBA does not want to see policy get in front of science and data. Thus it is very important that we work improve it. We thank USGS and hope they continue to improve this information. [an error occurred while processing this directive]