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McDonough, Ga. (May 27, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler kicked off his swing through Georgia by highlighting the critical role agriculture has with our society and well-being at Southern Belle Farm in McDonough. Administrator Wheeler was joined by Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black as well as EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary Walker.

“American farmers, ranchers and everyone in the food supply chain are working tirelessly to keep products available across the country,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “As America works to regain some normalcy over the next several weeks, EPA will work with the ag community to support the supply chain, with as little disruption as possible.”

“EPA is proud of our work supporting the agricultural community across the Southeast, where nearly a third of the land is in agricultural production,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “Agriculture is ranked as one of the top industries in every Region 4 state and our efforts to provide more certainty to the agricultural community helps them continue to grow food, fiber and other products while protecting the environment.” 

“We are grateful for our relationship with Administrator Wheeler and appreciate the agency's efforts in addressing issues that are important to our farmers. We look forward to continued collaboration between our agricultural community and federal agencies in the future,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black.

“We are grateful that Administrator Wheeler has once again chosen to visit our state to meet with farmers and agriculture stakeholders to discuss the agency’s regulatory efforts and the needs of our industry,” said Georgia Farm Bureau President Gerald Long. “The regulatory approach EPA has taken in recent years under the leadership of President Trump and Administrator Wheeler has been refreshing for Georgia farmers, and we look forward to continuing this important partnership as the agency moves ahead on issues like implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which defines waters of the United States (WOTUS), and pesticide reviews and registrations, among other things.”

During the event, Administrator Wheeler highlighted the important partnership between EPA and the agriculture community. This collaboration has led to achievements such as the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which gave greater certainty to states and landowners, and especially farmers, who have suffered for a generation with uncertainty over the definition of navigable waters.

EPA is committed to a strong partnership with the agriculture community to fulfill our mission of protecting human health and the environment. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/agriculture