"EPA vs. Farmers? Lawmakers Want To Ground Aerial Inspections"

"WASHINGTON -- The EPA says it does not fly drones over the heartland to spy on farmers. It does, however, use manned aircraft to enforce anti-pollution laws. And that's a practice that a group of farm-state lawmakers want to stop."

"Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has introduced the Farmer's Privacy Act to sharply restrict the Environmental Protection Agency's  use of 'aerial surveillance' of farms and ranches -- the latest shot at an agency that congressional Republicans consider a symbol of Washington's regulatory overreach.

The issue came up during Senate debate Thursday on a farm bill."

Richard Simon reports for the Los Angeles Times June 21, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"Cattle Buzzed By Government Flights -- But Not By Drones" (McClatchy)