Congressmen from Nebraska sent a letter to EPA Director Lisa Jackson seeking an explanation after livestock operations in the state were monitored via aerial surveillance.

Republican Reps. Adrian Smith, Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry, as well as Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and GOP Sen. Mike Johanns are concerned with privacy and other issues for the livestock operators and other landowners monitored by the agency.

“Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska pride themselves in the stewardship of our state’s natural resources,” wrote the Nebraska lawmakers in a release on Congressman Adrian Smith’s website. “As you might imagine, this practice has resulted in privacy concerns among our constituents and raises several questions.”

The bipartisan group asks almost two-dozen questions about the flyover and if findings resulted in additional enforcement activities. The letter asks for a response by June 10.

Fox News reports the Environmental Protection Agency calls the aerial surveillance a cost-efficient practice for monitoring areas of Section 7, a region of the Midwest including Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

Smith added property owners affected by the surveillance deserve “legitimate justification given the sensitivity of the information gathered by the flyovers.”

For more information including an AgriTalk interview with Mike Johanns, read Johanns questions EPA on feedlot flyovers