Reducing Red Tape
This week in the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, I presented legislation aimed at cutting down on duplicative farming regulations.Senate Bill 994 changes regulations surrounding anhydrous ammonia. For those that don’t know, anhydrous ammonia is commonly used as fertilizer, but it also has other uses on the farm like helping control mold growth and adding non-protein nitrogen to corn silage, according to the MU Extension Office. While a frequently used and effective tool, anhydrous ammonia is also a potentially dangerous chemical that requires following safe and proper handling procedures. Senate Bill 994 aims to ensure these procedures are followed as efficiently as possible.
This legislation consolidates oversight of anhydrous ammonia under the Missouri Air Conservation Commission, giving the commission the power to adopt, promulgate, amend and repeal rules and regulations regarding facilities that use, store or sell anhydrous ammonia. Currently, the Department of Agriculture oversees some aspects of anhydrous ammonia, while the Air Conservation Commission with the Department of Natural Resources oversees other, similar aspects. This has led to what I believe is an unnecessary and, at times, disjointed series of duplicated inspections that hinders the agriculture industry. This bill is not about removing oversight, but instead streamlining the process by making oversight more efficient and comprehensive.
In my opinion, we need safe handling and robust investigations of anhydrous ammonia facilities to ensure safety, but we also need smart, streamlined policies that help our state’s No. 1 industry. I believe SB 994 achieves both of these objectives. I look forward to passing this bill out of committee in the near future and moving it through the legislative process.
Scholarship Opportunity Available
The Women Legislators of Missouri are offering $500 college scholarships for young women approaching graduation from high school. One student from each of Missouri’s congressional districts will be selected to receive a scholarship. Candidates must fill out an application and submit a 500-word essay answering the question, “If you were a state legislator, what would you hope to accomplish and why?” The deadline for submission is March 31, 2020, and the application could be found at myscholarshipcentral.org. I strongly encourage eligible students to apply.
Please feel free to contact my office at (573) 751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.