The 2015 rule was confusing and required landowners to consult with federal agencies about farming their own land. This lack of clarity is why it was never fully implemented. Several states had sued, and won, to have the rule blocked. WOTUS left every ditch, arroyo and playa under the control of the federal government, even […]
Under the agencies’ proposal, traditional navigable waters, tributaries to those waters, certain ditches, certain lakes and ponds, impoundments of jurisdictional waters and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated. It also details what are not “waters of the United States,” such as features that only contain water during or in response to rainfall, […]
“People with any stake in the 2015 rule can go right to the proposal and know what’s in it,” said Don Parrish, senior regulatory affairs director at the American Farm Bureau Federation. Parrish pointed to the fact that EPA already received about 6,000 comments on a “pre-proposal.” Parrish said AFBF is generally pleased with the proposal, but would like […]
Bryan Nichols, field representative for Sixth Congressional District Rep. Sam Graves, noted the change to the Waters of the United States rule by the Environmental Protection Agency, announced Dec. 11. The rule change, which passed into law as part of an omnibus bill in May, is still in its public comment period, which will end […]
Clean water is very important to me. I take seriously my role in ensuring that what I do on my farm protects our water resources. But paralyzing small businesses with uncertainty and “gotcha” enforcement of vague regulations is not the way to make the water any cleaner. Clear rules will be more effective at protecting […]
One of the major wins for America’s farmers and ranchers has proved to be quite controversial, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a new Clean Water rule, which would rescind the 2015 “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule under the Clean Water Act. The 2015 rule never went […]
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army signed a proposal redefining of the Waters of the United States Rule Dec. 11 to the approval of Kansas politicians and ag leaders. The EPA was directed by an executive order from President Donald Trump to redefine the rule, which was originally implemented by the Obama […]
Earlier in December, President Trump issued a new rule to supplant President Obama’s vastly overreaching Waters of the U.S. rule which threatened the productivity of our farmers and ranchers. When President Obama’s EPA first issued the rule, I introduced a joint resolution to repeal it under the Congressional Review Act which easily passed both the […]
Three years ago, when the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a flawed “waters of the U.S.” rule, I was wondering what this meant for our family ranch. Apparently, I had a lot of company. I don’t think there was a farmer or rancher in the West who could tell […]
Is it possible to have cleaner waterways across the country and, at the same time, less federal regulation? Fortunately, for a wide swath of the economy — from farming to mining, home building to construction — the answer is yes. Not just any water quality policy will accomplish these twin goals, however. It will be […]