EPA Abuse of
Power Targets
Farmers
Ashley Stinnett
Recent polling shows Americans trust in government is at an
all-time low and there is little proof to believe that number will
ever rise in the near future. No doubt this year has been plagued
with a continuation of old and new high profile scandals such
as the NSA wiretapping, Benghazi cover ups, IRS targeting of
conservative and religious groups, selective enforcement of the
nation’s healthcare law, and operation Fast and Furious to name
a few.
So why is abuse of power and unconstitutional behavior so
rampant in Washington, D.C. these days?
One answer lies within the current Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) scandal. Last month a bipartisan group of
24 senators sent a letter to acting EPA administrator Bob
Perciasepe claiming the agency had leaked private information
of 80,000 livestock facilities in over 30 states, according to a
story by Investors Business Daily.
This information leak was the result of a group of
environmental activists via the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA). Some of the classified information contained names,
addresses and GPS coordinates to the locations of farmers and
facilities.
Obviously the leak has angered farmers across the country
due to the sheer volume of personal data that was placed in
the hands of environmental groups that specifically target the
agriculture industry. Organizations such as Earth Justice, the
Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pew Charitable
Trust all received this personal information. Aside from the
EPA, these radical environmentalists employ an army of
attorneys and lobbyists whose main goal is to target agriculture
through lawsuits and political punishment.
See ABUSE, page 18
West Virginia Farm Bureau News
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 77