WASHINGTON (July 21, 2011)—Today, Congressman Chandler urged farmers to share their thoughts about a proposed U.S. Department of Transportation regulation affecting farm equipment. This proposed regulation would classify certain pieces of farm machinery as Commercial Motor Vehicles and would require ranchers and farmers operating them to hold a Commercial Drivers License.
“Kentucky’s farmers know what is best for their small family farms, and they should be able to voice their opinion to the government on federal regulations that affect them,” Congressman Chandler said. “This is the chance for all our farmers to have a say in a regulation before it becomes permanent, and I hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity.”
Chandler is the chair of the national Blue Dog Task Force on Oversight and Regulatory Review which is charged with the task of reviewing and taking steps to ease the burden of the nearly 8,000 federal regulations issued annually. The Task Force pays particularly close attention to regulations that burden small businesses, affect economic growth, or hinder job creation in this tough economy.
In addition to Commercial Drivers Licenses, the change would require that equipment display Department of Transportation numbers, limit mileage and report service records. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration extended the public comment period until Aug. 1st.
Do you want to share your thoughts about this rule? You can comment in three ways:
- Online at www.regulations.gov
- Fax at 202-493-2251
- US Mail:
Docket Management Facility
U.S. Department of Transportation, Room W-12-140
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590-0001
All comments must be identified by Docket Number FMCSA-2011-0146, and must be submitted on or before August 1, 2011.
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