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 […]
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH: Opinion: Adrian Smith: Looking back at a productive 2018
/in NEWS /by wpengineEarlier 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 […]
CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE: Grant: Protecting water is a priority for Wyoming’s farmers and ranchers
/in NEWS /by wpengineThree 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 […]
INSIDE SOURCES: Opinion: Let’s Not Pollute our Waterways with Unnecessary Federal Regulation
/in NEWS /by wpengineIs 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 […]
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: Wayne F. Pryor column: Farmers want clean water and clear rules
/in NEWS /by wpengineOn Dec. 11, I joined the presidents of all 50 state Farm Bureaus at the EPA headquarters in Washington to announce a new proposed clean water rule to replace the flawed 2015 WOTUS rule. As the rule is published in the Federal Register, the details will take some time to sort out, and there may […]
IDAHO STATE JOURNAL: Opinion: On the importance of water infrastructure
/in NEWS /by wpengineTo best enable water projects and towns across Idaho and our nation to continue to deliver clean water while facing growing pressures on our water resources, primary jurisdiction over the allocation, management and use of water must remain as constitutionally directed — with the states, not the federal government. Last year, President Trump issued an […]
AL.COM: Opinion: EPA seeks clarity on Clean Water Act for farmers, landowners and states
/in NEWS /by wpengineConcern has been raised that burdensome and excessive federal regulations can delay or prohibit American businesses from investing in infrastructure or land development projects that will create jobs, grow crops, and improve how we manage our natural resources. Upon taking office, President Trump initiated a process to review and replace unnecessary regulatory barriers, which included […]
THE WEST VIRGINIA RECORD: Our View: At last, someone’s regulating the regulators at the EPA
/in NEWS /by wpengineFor eight long years of ideological warfare many states have argued that rainwater runoff, ditches, and puddles are not bodies of water, much less navigable ones, and that federal bureaucrats have no right trying to define them as such so as to establish their authority over every inch of private property in this country. Three […]
DESERET NEWS: Guest opinion: Utah benefits from clarity on Clean Water Ac
/in NEWS /by wpengineOur new proposal would make it easier to understand where the Clean Water Act applies — and where it does not. It would facilitate critical infrastructure projects, reduce barriers to business development and support economic growth. In Utah, a headwater state and a semiarid region, water resources are unique compared with other parts of the […]
NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN: EPA, Agriculture leaders rally farmers in Wilson County for clean water rule replacement
/in NEWS /by wpengineTop federal officials traveled to the Wilson County fairgrounds outside of Nashville Tuesday to promote the Trump Administration’s proposal to weaken a federal clean water regulation. Andrew Wheeler, acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue called on Tennessee farmers to engage in the contentious debate. Trump officials want […]
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Farmers asked to support Trump rollback of water rules
/in NEWS /by wpengineThe Trump administration is calling on farmers to throw their support behind a proposal to withdraw federal protections for many of the country’s waterways and wetlands. Environmental Protection Agency acting administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue on Tuesday traveled to Tennessee to drum up support among the state’s agricultural community. Wheeler says […]