Huntsville, Ala. ---- An environmental scientist at Alabama A&M University has been selected to serve on 30-member, first-ever Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee formed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Teferi Tsegaye will join researchers from throughout the nation to assist in EPA in its efforts to improve relations with the agriculture community.
“Through increased cooperation with our agriculture partners, EPA is planting the seeds to reap both environmental and economic benefits for the American people," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
The committee will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues impacting farms, ranches, and rural communities, and will operate under the rules of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The first meeting of the committee will take place March 13 and 14, 2008 at The Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Initially, EPA will ask the committee to focus on the following three issues: 1) how EPA's policies and regulations on climate change and renewable energy will affect the agriculture community; 2) an environmental strategy for managing waste from livestock operations that considers regulatory and voluntary approaches, and provides tools for producers to attain superior environmental performance; and 3) development of a constructive approach to advancing sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment, and addressing communication between environmental and agricultural interests.
Committee members were chosen from over 200 applicants generated from a request for nominations published Nov. 15 in the Federal Register, according to an EPA website. The new members represent: large and small farmers, ranchers, and rural communities; rural suppliers, marketers, and processors; academics and researchers who study environmental issues impacting agriculture; and, environmental and conservation groups.
For additional information, Alabama A&M News or EPA Newsroom.
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