EPA Names New Agricultural Advisory Committee Members
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 3 announced new members of the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC) for its 2010-2012 term. The FRRCC is an independent committee that advises EPA on a wide range of environmental issues of importance to agriculture and rural communities.
“While the committee membership includes a wide and diverse range of perspectives and backgrounds, the members share a commitment to dealing with the complex environmental issues that are important to agriculture,” said Lawrence Elworth, agricultural counselor to the administrator. “We look forward to the benefit of their knowledge and insight.”
Committee members were selected from a large pool of applicants responding to a request for nominations published Nov. 6, 2009 in the Federal Register. New members include representatives from academia, industry (for example, agriculture and allied industries), non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments.
FRRCC members will provide useful insight to the agency on topics such as non-point source water pollution, agricultural air issues, and environmental markets as it crafts environmental policies important to agriculture and rural communities.
The FRRCC will operate under the rules of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). As required by FACA, the FRRCC will hold open meetings and expects to meet approximately two times per year, generally in Washington, DC.