DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The newly appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday the only way to confront climate-change challenges and environmental problems facing agriculture is for farmers and government agencies to work together.
Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator for three weeks, said she accepted Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s invitation to the Iowa State Fair to celebrate steps Iowa is taking to control the runoff of farm fertilizer and manure.
Her brief speech was positive and repeatedly stressed the theme of collaboration. She declined to take questions from reporters and left the Iowa Farm Bureau building on the state fairgrounds after posing for a few photos without further comment.
“The challenge today is just to stop arguing about the problem and really start driving solutions,” she said in the speech.
She said President Barack Obama will continue to speak out about climate change and ways to deal with its impact — including the possibility of more frequent droughts and floods, problems Iowa farmers are familiar with.
She promised that by the end of her tenure at the EPA, the relationship between the agency and the agriculture community will be more productive and trusting.
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