Contact:
Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-9797
David Lungren David_Lungren@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-5642
Inhofe Says Supreme Court's Denial of Cotton Council Petition
'Unfair to Agriculture and Consumers'
Calls on Obama Administration to Work with Congress on a Bipartisan Solution
Washington, D.C.- Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today commented on the Supreme Court's denial of agriculture's petition to review the case of The National Cotton Council of America, et al. v. the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The petition to review was in response to the 6th Circuit's ruling reversing EPA's longstanding authority to exempt applications of pesticides from the Clean Water Act. In December 2009, Senator Inhofe, along with several members from the House and Senate, filed an amicus brief supporting the petition for review.
"The Supreme Court's denial is unfair to agriculture and consumers," Inhofe said. "The court's denial means agriculture will face yet another layer of bureaucracy and regulation, which will stifle job creation in rural America. Also, EPA will now have to process 5.6 million new pesticide applications per year, which will hinder farm operations and add significant costs to both producers and consumers of agriculture. I hope the Obama Administration will work with Congress as soon as possible on bipartisan legislation to address this issue."
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