Clean Water Act Guidance

Clean Water Act Guidance

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report after this.

Farmers and ranchers can get busy in the day-to-day details of their operation, especially this time of year with harvest, county fairs and school beginning.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Deputy Environmental Counsel Ashley McDonald says is important for ranchers to educate themselves on the issues as well as communicating their concerns to their elected officials and she shares one such example.

McDonald: “The Clean Water Act and the EPA’s attempt to expand their jurisdiction over waters and over land that has absolutely no water on it at all through their Clean Water Act guidance. We have legislative moving through the House, that’s H.R. 4965 that would invalidate that guidance. We encourage everyone to contact their Congressman to ask them to support that piece of legislation.”

According to a support letter for H.R. 4965 the Preserve the Waters of the United States Act, the EPA’s guidance would remove the word navigable from the Clean Water Act which would then include in all the Act’s regulatory programs All waters: including stock ponds, ditches and even mud puddles. The Idaho Cattle Association, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association as well as the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and Washington Cattle Feeders Association all signed encouraging their congressmen and women to support and pass this bill to put a stop the overburdensome regulation.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.