Fifty-two members of the House have asked Vice President Al Gore to detail the expenses to producers and taxpayers of new regulations to control pollution from livestock operations.  The program is known as the Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations.

In a letter to Gore, the members asked how the Clinton Administration intends to monitor and implement the programs with the "strategy."

House Ag Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) worries about the added expense and workload for USDA to oversee the new regulatory requirements and the diversion of time and money that "should instead be spent on the needs of all producers."

"Any program that is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency should be paid for by reductions in the EPA's budget and should not come at the expense of any current programs under the budget of (USDA)," the members said in the letter.

"Implementation of these voluntary incentive programs...would require funding for assistance directly to livestock operations as well as to cover the administrative costs of the increased workload of their administration," they added.  "Can you assure us that these costs will be paid for from EPA's budget?  If not, would you support delaying any action that would affect livestock operations or agency workloads until such funding is provided?"

The letter also said Congress has consistently rejected user fees, such as those proposed for meat inspection.  That is an unrealistic proposal, they said.