[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 106 (Tuesday, July 23, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5842-S5843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Donnelly):
  S. 1343. A bill to protect the information of livestock producers, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Donnelly in 
introducing legislation that will prevent the EPA from distributing the 
personal information of farmers. This legislation comes in direct 
response to

[[Page S5843]]

the EPA releasing personal information on over 80,000 farmers 
nationwide and over 9,000 farmers in Iowa. After the initial data 
release, I wrote a letter that was signed by 23 of my colleagues to the 
EPA asking them to explain their rationale for releasing the addresses, 
emails and phone numbers of so many producers. Their response was 
unsatisfactory to me so I am introducing this bill to stop the EPA from 
doing this again.
  The EPA's interpretation of the information which can be provided 
under a Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, request is simply too broad. 
Our Nation's farmers operate unique businesses in that their homes are 
often at the same location as their farming operation. When the EPA 
released this data, activist groups attained contact information and 
addresses for farm families whose way of life they oppose. This is 
unacceptable.
  I would also like to point out that this bill does not prevent the 
EPA from collecting the information about where farmers' operations are 
located. It also does not prevent EPA from disclosing information in 
the aggregate. The legislation simply prevents them from releasing 
personal information to the public. Furthermore, I am pleased to have 
support for this bill from 16 agriculture groups who agree that we 
should not enable activist groups with personal information. If we want 
people to trust our government, agencies like the EPA must quit taking 
actions that shake the confidence of our citizens. I urge my colleagues 
to join us in supporting this commonsense bill.

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