The deadline for growers, ranchers, and other interested parties to comment on the EPA’s “Waters of the U.S.” proposal was July 17, but this week EPA extended the deadline to Oct. 20. This proposal reportedly would give the EPA more control over private property, including streams, ditches, ponds, and other local bodies of water.
According to Bob Stahl, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the extension is good news for agriculture. “This is a victory for farming families and a clear signal that America’s farmers know how to stand up and be counted.
“EPA has misled the regulated community about the rule’s impacts on land use. If more people knew how regulators want to require permits for common activities on dry land, or penalize landowners for not getting them, they would be outraged. …”
“The new schedule gives us until October 20 to comment on the Waters of the United States rule, and until July 7 to comment on the accompanying interpretive rule. Rest assured we will use that time to its best advantage. We will ditch this rule.”
Click here for more information on the Definition of “Waters of the United States” Under the Clean Water Act,
Source: American Farm Bureau Federation and Mike Enzi Senator for Wyoming news releases