Agricultural News
NCBA is Ready to Take EPA to Court Over WOTUS- Colin Woodall Tells All
Mon, 29 Jun 2015 13:46:58 CDT
The Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Rule, which most stakeholders continue to call the Waters of the US Rule, is now final. In a matter of a few more weeks- the rule will be enforced by the agency. The Vice President for Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Colin Woodall, says his organization considers this Rule one that must be fought each step of the way. In today's Beef Buzz, he calls it a "fall on your sword" kind of issue.
Woodall told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays this past week in Washington that there is only a slim chance that Congress might be able to force the agency to withdraw the rule and start over. There is a slightly better chance that through the Appropriations process that in the new fiscal year, starting October first, that EPA might face a Congressional order to stop implementation of the measure- with Congress withholding funds to the Agency for that work. While the house has passed legislation that would require EPA to pull the rule, Woodall admits that any action by the Senate could face a Presidential veto.
As a result, NCBA and other groups that are against the Clean Water Rule are weighing their options in the Federal Court System. Woodall says NCBA does not believe EPA Administrator Gina McCarty when she claims that agriculture won't see new rules and regulations impacting the farmer's ability to farm or ranch. He points to a real world case in Iowa where NCBA representatives were in the field with EPA officials,- "we had interaction with EPA in Iowa this past week, wehre they were looking at a stock tank- an inground pond- that had run over because of rain and the EPA told that landowner- 'that will be a water of the United States.' That runs counter to everything that the Administrator has told us."
NCBA is consulting with other groups- ag and non ag like- in order to develop a strong coalition to fight the EPA in the courts and slow down and/ stop WOTUS.
One of the worries that Woodall has is that while EPA may not come out to farms randomly and make compliance checks- the way that the EPA has written the final rule allows third parties to call in complaints that they think are happening. He says that means environmental activists will be able to see what might be a violation- and file a complaint with the EPA and put that farm or ranch into jeopardy with the agency.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays featured Colin Woodall on the Beef Buzz feature. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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