Researched by D. Niwa
Remember several years ago when they passed the new additions (include non-navigable waterways) to the “Clean Water Act”, and we said it would lead to this?
Will the EPA’s “Clean Water Rule” Rule Affect You?
Some will be affected directly, everyone else will be affected indirectly due to the impact on businesses. Links below to four articles about the “Clean Water Rule.”[1] Too bad that most U.S. policy-makers have not and are not paying attention to this issue because it is coming back to bite us.
Note: This is an extension of U.N. Agenda 21 “sustainable development” plans. The EPA is a lead agency in the U.S. to implement environment-related United Nation’s global policies. The plans are adopted and put into U.S. legislation by elected officials in the U.S. Congress. In this case, authorization comes by way of the congressionally-approved “Federal Water Pollution Control Act.”
Endnote:
[1] Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Water Rule: Definition of ‘’Waters of the United States’’; Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 90, No. 124, June 29, 2015. Download pdf: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/epa-hq-ow-2011-0880-20862.pdf
—
EPA water rule takes effect in some states
By Timothy Cama – 08/28/15 09:37 AM EDT | The Hill
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/252165-epa-water-rule-takes-effect-in-some-states
Excerpt: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started enforcing its controversial water pollution jurisdiction rule Friday in all but 13 states.
Friday marks 60 days after the rule, known as the Clean Water Rule, was published in the Federal Register and the day that the agency planned to start enforcement along with the Army Corps of Engineers.
In response to a petition from 13 states, a North Dakota federal judge temporarily blocked the rule’s implementation late Thursday, ruling that the states would likely suffer if it took effect and that they are likely to succeed when their underlying lawsuit against the rule is decided.
Excerpt: The preliminary injunction, Harrison said, applies only in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
—
Here’s What You Need to Know About EPA’s Overreaching Water Rule
U.S. Chamber Staff | Aug. 28, 2015 – 11:45AM
https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/here-s-what-you-need-know-about-epa-s-overreaching-water-rule
Excerpt: EPA’s controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule went into effect–but not everywhere.
It drastically expands the reach of the federal government.
—
How 4 Industries Will Get Soaked by Federal Water Rule
SEAN HACKBARTH
Senior Editor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
AUG 28, 2015 – 5:00PM
https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/how-4-industries-will-get-soaked-federal-water-rule
Excerpt: Editor’s note: EPA has begun enforcing its new definition of Waters of the U.S. This post, originally published on November 13, 2014, looks at how specific industries will be affected by this federal overreach.
Farmers and home builders know that doing business will drastically change for the worse if the new definition of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) goes into effect.
For farmers, they fear they “may not be able to weed and feed your lawn, spray for bugs, landscape with treated lumber and wood chips, fill in a low area with soil, or even dig a hole without” a federal permit.
For home builders still recovering from the Great Recessions’ housing market collapse, the new water regulations will mean added costs and uncertainty. As a Missouri home builder told the House Small Business Committee, “Builders would face new, costly delays just waiting for the agencies to determine if a road ditch is a ‘Water of the United States.'”
They’re not alone. From retail stores to gravel companies to railroads, many other industries will be harmed by this federal overreach. Here are four examples taken from comments to federal regulators from the U.S. Chamber and 375 other trade associations.
—
[Wyoming] A Wyoming Rancher’s Case Shows Why So Many Businesses Are Worried About EPA’s Water Rule
Sean Hackbarth, Senior Editor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
SEP 01, 2015 – 9:30AM
Excerpt:
Wyoming rancher Andy Johnson wanted to build a pond on his property for his cattle. He got the necessary state permits and did it. Cattle now drink from the pond, and birds and fish call it home.
But Johnson didn’t ask federal officials if he could build the pond. EPA came along and told him he had to fill it in. Johnson refused and is being fined $37,000 per day by the agency.
Johnson’s fight with the federal government illustrates why there has been such outcry over EPA’s new water rule, the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS)—a rule that extends federal jurisdiction over nearly every body of water in the United States.