Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) chairman of the U.S. House agriculture committee is asking Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson for a response to a list of questions from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Lucas submitted the request to EPA nearly six months ago; he followed up with a letter on Thursday.

Administrator Jackson testified before the House agriculture committee on March 10, at a hearing on EPA regulations. Following that hearing, members of the agriculture committee submitted questions for the record to clarify EPA's proposed actions and to gather more information about potential impacts on agriculture.

EPA currently has more than 300 regulations under consideration, which could affect issues ranging from farm dust to federal jurisdiction over small streams and ponds. The American Council for Capital Formation estimates that by 2014, EPA regulations will cost Americans anywhere from $47 billion to $141 billion, and eliminate between 476 thousand and 1.4 million jobs.

The lack of transparency and uncertainty surrounding potential EPA regulations is also damaging to economic growth, Lucas contends. Businesses are hesitant to make job-creating investments without knowing the regulatory environment in which they will be operating, he says.

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