ISSUES AND POLICY
Submit #DitchTheRule Comments on EPA on Waters of the US Rule Online
T
HE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) AND the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) re- cently proposed an expansion of their federal
authority over “waters of the U.S.” The agencies have proposed to redefi ne the defi ni-
tion of “Waters of the United States,” and that new defi nition would require cattle ranchers to get the permission of the federal government anytime they needed to expand, do maintenance, or perform rou- tine activities like driving a tractor through a pasture. Almost all activities on our open land will now touch a “water of the United States” under the expanded defi nition. Many cattle operations will be required to get Sec. 402 NPDES permits, Sec. 404 Dredge and Fill permits, or Sec. 311 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) spill plans. The expansion fl ies in the face of the U.S. Constitution, the plain language of the Clean Water Act, and Congressional intent and is therefore illegal. Tell the agency that the agencies have stepped over the line and the proposed rule should not be fi nalized. Please take the time to submit comments to the EPA.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has provided sample comments at their website that you
80 The Cattleman July 2014
can submit or edit to fi t your situation. Remember these comments will be more impactful if you tell your story, so please feel free to add your thoughts. To submit comments online, go to
beefUSA.org and
click on “2014 Top NCBA Priorities” under the “Issues” tab in the blue menu bar. This will take you to a page where you can click on “Submit Comments to Stop EPA from Expanding Clean Water Act Authority” in the middle of the page. You will now be at a page that has boxes for you to
fi ll in your name, address and other information. Once you’ve fi lled this out, click the blue “SUBMIT” button. If you haven’t fi lled out the required information cor- rectly, the page will prompt you to make corrections. No anonymous comments will be accepted. Once your information is fi lled out and you click
the “SUBMIT” button, you will then have the chance to submit the sample comment NCBA has provided or you can edit to add your own thoughts. Once you’re satisfi ed with the content, click the blue “SUBMIT” but- ton. Your comments have now been sent to the EPA! We thank you for taking the time to tell the EPA
how the rule will affect landowners, the cattle industry and small business.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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