USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
Welcome to the website for the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force. This site serves as a repository of information about the task force, and provides public access to Federal Register notices, meeting minutes, reports and documents, and official communiqués from and about the Task Force.
Latest News
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) met August 1-2, 2012 in Syracuse, New York to continue discussions on critical air quality issues related to agriculture. Meeting materials are available here.
Congressional Mandate and Charter
Congress directed the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to establish a task force to address air quality issues. This task force shall be comprised of USDA employees, industry representatives, and other experts in the fields of agriculture and air quality. This task force shall advise the Secretary with respect to the role of the Secretary to provide oversight and coordination related to agricultural air quality.
The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force is re-chartered every two years and the latest Charter, signed 12/20/2010, is available here.
Task Force Mission
The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force has been created in accordance with Section 391 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act of 1996, which directs the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, to establish a task force to address agricultural air quality issues.
The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) was established to comply with Congress and consists of leaders in farming, industry, health, and science. In 1996, Congress found that various studies have alleged that agriculture is a source of PM10 emissions and that many of these studies have often been based on erroneous data. Congress also cited ongoing research by the Department of Agriculture and that federal policy, in regard to air pollution, be based on sound scientific findings that are subject to adequate peer review and take into account economic feasibility. The Secretary of Agriculture was charged to ensure that Departmental federal air quality research not report erroneous data.
