AFBF on Thursday released documents outlining how the Environmental Protection Agency's Waters of the U.S. rule will give the agency sweeping powers to regulate land use despite a body of law clearly prohibiting such overreach. The Farm Bureau analysis, now available online, makes available to the public details the EPA has refused to address in public meetings over the past year. The documents are available as PDF attachments.

 

"Our analysis shows yet again how unwise, extreme and unlawful this rule is," AFBF President Bob Stallman said. "Our public affairs specialists and legal team have assembled the best analysis available anywhere, and their conclusions are sobering: Despite months of comments and innumerable complaints, the Waters of the U.S. proposal is even worse than before."

 

AFBF news release

 

Newsline

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's passage of a bill (S. 1140) to stop the EPA's Waters of the U.S. Rule shows Congress is listening, even if the EPA won't. The controversial WOTUS rule gives federal agencies new powers to regulate many normal farming, ranching and business activities, making it the largest federal overreach in memory.

 

Call Senator Kirk today at 202-224-2854 and ask him to co-sponsor S. 1140.

 

The Federal Water Quality Protection Act, S. 1140, would force EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to scrap its own, extreme interpretation of the Clean Water Act and return to the drawing board, this time to craft a new rule that would fall within the parameters of Congress' intent. The EPA and Army Corps would be required to take into consideration the valid concerns of farmers, ranchers, home builders and others who would be affected by the new rule.

 

AFBF news release 

The EPA abused and distorted the normal rulemaking process to pre-determine the outcome of its highly controversial "Waters of the U.S." rule, American Farm Bureau Federation General Counsel Ellen Steen told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Steen's testimony also pointed out EPA's controversial use of social media, saying, "Regardless of whether you supported, opposed, or never heard of that rule, you should shudder to think that this is how controversial regulations will be developed in the age of social media."

 

AFBF news release