An official website of the United States government.

News Releases from Region 03

ICYMI: LANCASTER FARMING: EPA Leader Seeks Better Communication

03/16/2018
Contact Information: 
David Sternberg (sternberg.david@epa.gov)
215-814-5548

March 16, 2018

Contact: David Sternberg, sternberg.david@epa.gov    215-814-5548

ICYMI: LANCASTER FARMING: EPA Leader Seeks Better Communication

By: Philip Gruber

March 16, 2018

Few government bodies can send a chill down a farmer’s spine like the Environmental Protection Agency.

Other agencies — from the USDA down to county conservation districts — are known for helping farmers.

But the EPA?

It has the power to regulate, push changes in farm practices and levy fines.

Those responsibilities aren’t going away, but Pennsylvania’s new top EPA official wants farmers to feel more comfortable interacting with the agency.

“We should be giving you predictability. That’s an important thing,” said Cosmo Servidio, the Mid-Atlantic regional administrator.

Servidio — who also serves Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia — met with farmers during a Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance gathering on Monday at Hershey Farms.

Mild-mannered and businesslike, Servidio spent more than an hour talking about his vision of an agency that emphasizes practicality, listens to farmers’ concerns and fills out paperwork in a timely manner.

To read the full Lancaster Farming story, click here [http://www.lancasterfarming.com/farm_life/conservation/epa-leader-seeks-better-communication/article_dbbd6275-3252-5bc6-9f0f-fd3a7b4bb34e.html] Exit