WASHINGTON– American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the final phase 1 revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

“AFBF is disappointed that the Biden administration has decided to reverse commonsense reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Farmers and ranchers share the goal of caring for the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with and were pleased that the updated 2020 regulations allowed them to protect the environment while meeting the demands of a growing nation,” Duvall said. 

Montana Farm Bureau President Cyndi Johnson added, “This is a step back for Montana’s farmers and ranchers who are very concerned about water quality and doing what’s right for the environment. Farmers and ranchers need rules they can understand without having a team of lawyers to decipher them. This reversal takes us back to those days and it’s sure to slow down the process of growing food for our nation.”

Duvall echoed Johnson’s concerns. “Continued challenges from the pandemic, supply chain issues and the drought in the West are impacting farmers, ranchers and the American public in the form of increased food and fuel prices. The situation will now be made worse by the return to a slow and cumbersome NEPA review process that, in many cases, takes years to complete. We urge the administration to stop moving backward and keep focused on working with farmers and ranchers to advance sound, science-based and practical conservation goals that protect our resources while creating opportunities for agriculture as well as every sector of the economy.”

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