CRONKITE NEWS: Arizona rancher, official tell Congress states need voice in water regs
Federal regulation of waterways may not be the first issue that comes to mind in a desert state like Arizona, but don’t tell that to Pima County cattle rancher Jim Chilton. Chilton was one of two Arizonans invited to testify Wednesday on the Waters of the United States rule, an Obama administration plan to streamline regulation of waterways. Critics charge that the plan, which never took effect, just muddied the waters and Chilton called it a “form of tyranny.” “In my view, the 2015 WOTUS rule empowered bureaucrats to impose their personal views without concern for being called to account for their actions,” Chilton said in his prepared testimony. “We need a reasonable interpretation shared by citizens on what constitutes a navigable river and what is a genuine nexus to a navigable river.”
