EPA tries to win back farm states

Lisa Jackson is looking for some friends down on the farm. Farm-state voters have seemingly lost patience with Democrats in Washington. Last fall, the governorships and a combined 16 congressional seats in several key states that supported President Barack Obama in 2008 flipped to Republicans, including Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. At the center of complaints from farm-state lawmakers: the Environmental Protection Agency’s air and water regulations, which they claim will put farms out of business. In an effort to repair its image in the heartland, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and other Cabinet officials are hitting the road and the airwaves. Jackson traveled to Iowa last month and California farm country in March, and EPA says additional trips are in the works. She has also been trying to improve EPA’s image through appearances on local radio stations and with op-eds in farm states...more