THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
AND
THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
10:00 a.m.

• Official hearing transcript
• Press Release - American Farmers, Foresters Express Concern Over Federal Regulations That Will Destroy Jobs, Devastate Agricultural Sector at Joint Committee Hearing (5/3/2011)

JOINT FULL COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT HEARING ON:

• "At Risk: American Jobs, Agriculture, Health and Species–the Costs of Federal Regulatory Dysfunction"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Doc Hastings
Committee on Natural Resources Chairman

The Honorable Frank Lucas
Committee on Agriculture Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

Dr. Joseph Glauber
Chief Economist
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Steven Bradbury
Director
Office of Pesticide Programs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. Rowan Gould
Acting Director
Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

Eric Schwaab
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Panel II

Angela Beehler
District Manager
Benton County Mosquito Control District

Barry Bushue
President, Oregon Farm bureau
Testifying on behalf of American Farm Bureau Federation
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Dr. Debra Edwards, Ph.D.
Senior Managing Scientist
Exponent Engineer and Scientific Consulting
(Truth in Testimony Form)

West Mathison
President
Stemilt Growers, LLC
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Dan Newhouse
Director
Washington Department of Agriculture

Zeke Grader
Executive Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
(Truth in Testimony Form)

BACKGROUND:

The hearing will focus on how federal agencies managing the Endangered Species Act are threatening jobs and the economic livelihoods of American farmers, foresters and water users by severely restricting the use of crop and tree protection products labeled and registered by the Environmental Protection Agency.