WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today introduced legislation to direct the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to change their designation of milk as an environmental hazard. Congresswoman Miller’s legislation will prohibit enforcement of the EPA’s regulations on dairy and dairy product producers, processors, handlers and distributers, and it would require the EPA to implement this exemption within 30 days of the legislations enactment. Currently under the Clean Water Act, the EPA instituted a program called the Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Program which directs producers to have an oil spill prevention plan (SPCC plan), because under this rule milk is considered the same as oil, and if dairy producers do not comply with the EPA’s rule then they will be subject to punitive damages.

“The EPA’s criterion, which considers milk to be oil, is placing undue, over-burdensome regulatory requirements on our dairy producers and will cause a financial strain on a vital industry. Milk is a natural resource and directing the EPA to proceed with exempting our dairy producers is a common sense solution,” Miller said. “Our nation should take every step to prevent oil spills in our waters and shores; however, the EPA must understand that spilt milk is not the same as oil. EPA needs to immediately exempt dairy from this mandate.”

“We see on television every day the devastation being wrought in the Gulf of Mexico by the ongoing oil spill. It is simply ridiculous for the EPA to suggest that milk presents the same danger to our environment as oil. The federal government’s focus on the Gulf oil spill has been brought into question and one has to wonder if ridiculous requirements like this are a reason why. The EPA has an important job and it should properly place its focus where it belongs – on spilled oil, not spilled milk.”

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