I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7900 

To establish a regulatory review process for rules that the Administrator 

of the Environmental Protection Agency plans to propose, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 9, 2024 

Mr. FINSTAD (for himself, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. BACON, Mrs. 

HINSON, Mr. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida, Mr. VAN ORDEN, Mr. 

NEWHOUSE, Mrs. FISCHBACH, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas, Mr. FLOOD, and Mr. MOORE of Alabama) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 

in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a regulatory review process for rules that the 

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

plans to propose, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EPA Accountability 

5 to Farm Country Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REGULATORY REVIEW BY THE SECRETARY OF AG2 RICULTURE. 

3 (a) REVIEW OF REGULATORY ACTIONS.—The Sec4 retary shall review each covered publication not later than 

5 30 days after the date on which such publication is issued 

6 to determine whether the covered publication may have a 

7 major economic impact on production or prices of agricul8 tural commodities, retail food prices, or otherwise on the 

9 agricultural economy. 

10 (b) INFORMATION GATHERING.—If the Secretary de11 termines a covered publication may have a major economic 

12 impact on production or prices of agricultural commod13 ities, retail food prices, and otherwise on the agricultural 

14 economy, within 30 days of such determination, the Sec15 retary shall— 

16 (1) convene a review panel for analysis of the 

17 regulatory action that is the subject of the covered 

18 publication that includes— 

19 (A) the Secretary; 

20 (B) an employee of the Department of Ag21 riculture; 

22 (C) an employee of the Environmental Pro23 tection Agency that is designated by the Admin24 istrator; 

25 (D) an employee from the Office of Infor26 mation and Regulatory Affairs within the Office 


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1 of Management and Budget that is designated 

2 by the Director of the Office of Management 

3 and Budget; and 

4 (E) four active producers from different 

5 geographic areas of the United States, and that 

6 represent a cross-section of agricultural com7 modities grown in the United States; 

8 (2) notify the Committee on Agriculture of the 

9 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag10 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate— 

11 (A) that such a review panel is being con12 vened; and 

13 (B) which covered publication is to be con14 sidered by such review panel; 

15 (3) solicit from the Administrator any informa16 tion the Secretary determines necessary to facilitate 

17 a review of the covered publication; and 

18 (4) issue an economic impact statement for the 

19 publication item that contains a detailed estimate of 

20 potential costs to the agriculture sector of the 

21 United States. 

22 (c) DUTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.—The Adminis23 trator shall provide any information solicited by the Sec24 retary under subsection (b)(3) for purposes of facilitating 

25 a review of the covered publication involved. 


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1 (d) DUTIES AND REPORT OF THE REVIEW PANEL.— 

2 (1) DUTIES.—A review panel convened under 

3 subsection (b) with respect to a covered publication 

4 shall— 

5 (A) review any information or material ob6 tained by the Secretary and prepared in connec7 tion with the covered publication, including any 

8 draft proposed guidance, policy, memorandum, 

9 regulation, assessment, decision, or statement 

10 of general applicability and future effect; 

11 (B) collect advice and recommendations 

12 from agricultural entity representatives with re13 spect to such publication; and 

14 (C) compile and analyze such advice and 

15 recommendations. 

16 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the 

17 date a review panel is convened under subsection (b) 

18 with respect to a covered publication, the review 

19 panel shall submit to the Secretary, the Adminis20 trator, the Committee on Agriculture of the House 

21 of Representatives, and the Committee on Agri22 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a re23 port, which shall be made publicly available by the 

24 Secretary, describing— 


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1 (A) the economic impact statement for the 

2 covered publication issued under subsection 

3 (b)(4); 

4 (B) the findings of the review panel; and 

5 (C) any recommendations of the Adminis6 trator to limit the scope of the covered publica7 tion to ensure the regulatory action that is the 

8 subject of such publication does not have a 

9 major economic impact on production and 

10 prices of agricultural commodities, retail food 

11 prices, and otherwise on the agricultural econ12 omy. 

13 (e) ECONOMIC IMPACT OF REGULATORY AGENDA.— 

14 Any regulatory action that is the subject of a covered pub15 lication that has been reviewed by a review panel under 

16 subsection (b) that has been determined to have a major 

17 economic impact or affects a substantial number of agri18 cultural entities shall not be finalized until the Adminis19 trator implements the recommendations made by the re20 view panel, as described in subsection (d). 

21 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis23 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ24 mental Protection Agency. 


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1 (2) COVERED PUBLICATION DEFINED.—The 

2 term ‘‘covered publication’’ means a publication that 

3 gives notice that the Administrator of the Environ4 mental Protection Agency is preparing, or plans to 

5 prepare, any guidance, policy, memorandum, regula6 tion, assessment, decision, or statement of general 

7 applicability and future effect, including— 

8 (A) any regulatory agenda of the Environ9 mental Protection Agency published pursuant 

10 to section 602 of title 5, United States Code; 

11 (B) any regulatory plan or agenda pub12 lished by the Environmental Protection Agency 

13 or the Office of Management and Budget pur14 suant to an Executive order, including Execu15 tive Order 12866; and 

16 (C) any other publication issued by the Ad17 ministrator of the Environmental Protection 

18 Agency or the Director of the Office of Manage19 ment and Budget that may reasonably be fore20 seen to contain such a notice. 

21 (3) MAJOR ECONOMIC IMPACT.—The term 

22 ‘‘major economic impact’’ means, with respect to a 

23 regulatory action that is the subject of a covered 

24 publication, that the action would— 


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1 (A) have an annual effect on the economy 

2 of the United States of $50,000,000 or more; 

3 (B) cause a major increase in costs or 

4 prices for agricultural entities, consumers, indi5 vidual industries, Federal, State, or local gov6 ernment agencies, or geographic regions; or 

7 (C) cause significant adverse effects on 

8 employment, investment, productivity, innova9 tion, or the ability of United States-based enter10 prises to compete with foreign-based enterprises 

11 in domestic and export markets. 

12 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Æ 


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