Newhouse Calls For Investigation Of Seattle EPA Office

Efforts to investigate the Northwest EPA office are now coming from D.C.  On Monday, central Washington’s Dan Newhouse sent a Letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting an investigation into communications between anti-agriculture activist organizations and federal civil service employees.

"I am writing today to request you investigate collaboration between environmental activist groups and career staff that has appeared to permeate throughout the Region 10 EPA office in Seattle, Washington," Newhouse wrote in his letter.  "The purpose of the federal government is to provide Americans with essential services, including navigating the complex regulatory burden placed on farmers. This coordination is appalling and should be investigated; if career staff did in fact coordinate with activists to target farmers, then those staff are not worthy of a taxpayer-funded salary."

Earlier this year, the Cow Palace dairy in Yakima County, closed its doors after years of litigation from the EPA.  This follows the closure of Liberty Dairy, also in Yakima County, in the fall of 2024. 

Industry Applauds Newhouse's Letter

,"We appreciate efforts by Rep. Newhouse to bring appropriate review of years-long suspect behavior by certain EPA staff," said Dan Wood, Executive Director, Washington State Dairy Federation.  "Activists, their attorneys, EPA staff, and DOJ staff have been coordinating together to drive animal agriculture out of business.  They have changed science reports, coordinated legal strategies, and hidden public documents. This sort of waste, fraud, and abuse needs to be brought to light and ended. Government at all levels must act with integrity, work within the bounds of laws for accountability, and refrain from carrying activist agendas."

"Washington state’s farmers have waited far too long for accountability from the EPA," noted Ben Tindall, Executive Director, Save Family Farming.  "While rogue officials in Region 10 have run unchecked, family farms and rural communities, especially in Central Washington, have suffered real and lasting harm.  We are grateful to Congressman Newhouse for raising this issue directly to the top leadership in Washington DC.  His efforts are an important step toward exposing and ending the abuse of power that has gone on for years behind closed doors."

Click Here to read the letter from Representative Newhouse.

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