Agricultural News
Stop EPA Overreach, Farm Bureau's Stallman Tells Congress- Link to Testimony
Thu, 12 Jun 2014 05:23:16 CDT
The EPA's proposal to regulate everyday farming practices isn't just impractical; it's illegal, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman told the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment this morning.
"The EPA 'Waters of the U.S.' proposal broadly expands federal jurisdiction," Stallman said. "It threatens local land-use and zoning authority, and is an end-run around Congress and the Supreme Court."
The EPA claims that farmers would face less regulation under its latest proposal. In fact, the rule would micro-manage farming via newly-mandated procedures for fencing, spraying, weeding and more. Permitting, meanwhile, could delay time-sensitive tasks for months, potentially ruining crops in the process.
"EPA is deliberately misleading the regulated community about the impacts on land use. If more people knew how regulators could use the proposed rule to require permits for common activities on dry land, or penalize landowners for not getting them, they would be outraged," Stallman said.
The Clean Water Act was signed into law in 1972 with the clear purpose of protecting the nation's waters from pollution of all sorts. Congress gave states, not the EPA, the primary responsibility to oversee land use. The latest proposal would turn that relationship on its head.
Farm Bureau, together with dozens of other farm and industry groups, is fighting the EPA's Waters of the U.S. overreach. Click to find out more.
You can click here to read Bob Stallman's full testimony before Congress on Wednesday.
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