Spartz Amendment to Make Farming, Food More Affordable Passes House

Rep. Victoria Spartz’s amendment to exempt large farm tractors, combines, and sprayers from unreasonable EPA emissions standards, such as DEF, passed the House on a bipartisan basis and was included in the final passage of the Farm Bill.

“I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who stood with American farmers and consumers to pass this common-sense amendment,” said Rep. Spartz. “While I’m disappointed that some chose to side with large corporate interests over the hardworking families who feed our country, this is a meaningful win for farmers and consumers.”

Under one-size-fits-all EPA regulations, farm diesel engines were swept into burdensome emissions standards, adding unreasonable costs to farmers, causing damaging delays, creating fire hazards, and leading to higher prices at grocery stores. Farm machinery and input costs have surged by 30% to 100% in just the last five years, pushing food prices higher and putting family farms on the brink of widespread bankruptcies.