EPA Chief Wants Greater Partnership with Ag

Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and new chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, expressed her interest in establishing greater communication with the U.S. ag sector, in an address to NAWG leaders in Washington, DC this spring.

Whitman said that she intends to create an agriculture advisory position at the EPA, someone who understands agricultural issues and will be able to communicate well with U.S. farm sector.  Another key objective is to increase communication between the EPA and the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce.

Whitman pointed out that she was born and raised on her family farm in New Jersey, and in fact still lives there, although she says “her farm could probably fit into a tiny corner of the wheat farms in this country,” her background does provide a better understanding of farm life “in a way that you don’t get if you have not had to depend on Mother Nature and skies for your livelihood.”

Biotechnology holds tremendous promise, but Whitman stressed that new products must be developed in a way that is safe for both humans and the environment. “It doesn’t do anyone any good if a product approved for market is later found unsafe, because the necessary scientific research wasn’t done at the onset,” she said. “My goal is to make sure we reap the benefits of biotechnology without sowing the seeds of public doubt and mistrust, so we take this extraordinarily exciting emerging field to its furthest and to be able to maximize it.”

Whitman pledged to work with producers to achieve pesticide regulatory harmonization. “The United States, Canada and Mexico have made a great deal of progress on this issue. As markets open we have to make sure U.S. farmers are not put at a competitive disadvantage. That includes not just regulatory consistency but price consistency as well. EPA stands ready to work with you, Congress, and all of the other stakeholders out there to find the necessary legislative remedy,” she said.

She also said that the Bush Administration is supportive in developing the use of alternative fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel.