Another day, another right trampled
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April 13, 2014 |
By Congressman Raul Labrador
Nearly every day, the Obama administration
announces a new policy or regulation that
undermines our Constitutional rights and stifles
our economy. The EPA, in particular, has put out
some egregious regulations that have a direct
and negative impact on the people of Idaho.
We saw that recently when, on March 25, the EPA
proposed an aggressive expansion of its
regulatory authority over local bodies of waters
and surrounding property. Under the Clean Water
Act (CWA) – which was first passed in 1972 – the
EPA has authority over “traditionally navigable
waters.” While that term was slightly ambiguous,
for decades, the EPA understood there were
certain lines it couldn’t cross. Now, the EPA
wants to cross those lines. Specifically, it
wants to remove the word “navigable” from its
enforcement of the CWA and change how
“waterways” are defined in order to capture
virtually all land in America.
The most obvious effect of the EPA’s plan is
that it would increase the number of waters
subject to federal water quality standards,
adding costs to Idaho’s farmers and small
business owners. But it goes beyond that.
If the EPA’s plan is implemented, their
bureaucrats would have jurisdiction over
virtually the whole country. Basically, if water
can flow on your property, you might find
yourself subject to EPA control. Virtually every
farmer, rancher and homeowner in America might
have to apply for federal permits to do anything
on their land.
To prevent this disaster, I am a cosponsor of HR
3377, the Defense of Environment and Property
Act. This bill would stop the EPA power grab by
clarifying existing law under the Clean Water
Act.
Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not have
regulatory power over puddles, ditches, and
other water sources that have no connection to
interstate commerce. It’s time for the EPA needs
to be reined in. I am committed to protecting
Idaho’s property owners and imposing common
sense on an agency that desperately needs it. |
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