Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) is leading a group of 40 House members in writing a letter to EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe expressing concern over the agency releasing livestock producers’ private information to extreme environmental groups and asking the Acting Director to ensure the released information is not improperly used.

“I have serious concerns over the EPA’s release of this information, particularly regarding individual privacy rights and possible bio-security threats to the nation’s food supply. Releasing this type of information makes producers potential targets of harassment, or even bio-terrorism,” said Crawford. “The EPA must be held accountable for their actions and bureaucrats in Washington must consider the livelihoods of farm families and our nation’s food-security before they cower to extreme environmental groups.”

In the letter, Crawford and other House members, demand answers on why the EPA obtained producers’ private information and, most important, what steps the agency will take to protect the affected producers while ensuring these actions will never happen again.

“We urge you to suspend any efforts to assemble a public, national database of detailed and person producer information, and instead refocus your efforts to ensure that the recent release of data is not misused in a way that threatens our Nation’s producers and the integrity of our Nation’s food supply that farm families make possible.”

Congressman Rick Crawford represents Arkansas’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Crawford serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. On the Agriculture Committee, Crawford is Chairman of the Livestock, Rural Development and Credit Subcommittee. Congressman Crawford and his wife Stacy live in Jonesboro with their two children. Click HERE to learn more about Congressman Crawford.

Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) is leading a group of 40 House members in writing a letter to EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe expressing concern over the agency releasing livestock producers’ private information to extreme environmental groups and asking the Acting Director to ensure the released information is not improperly used.