7-23 IAT Simpson Water

 Controlling our own water.

 Lord knows the importance of water to our agriculture here in Idaho. How would we like it if the feds were allowed to come in and control what we do with it...issues such as to whom it is allocated and how much. It’s all dicey and that is why Congressman Mike Simpson stepped up to the plate recently and help to defeat an amendment regulating navigable waters.The FY 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations bill is currently under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives. Many amendments are being offered, including Amendment #1 by Representative James Moran (D-VA). This amendment would alter the language in the bill that protects the authority of states by preventing the Army Corps of Engineers from expanding its regulation to include intrastate bodies of water under the Clean Water Act for any reason other than drinking water uses.  Congressman Simpson spokesperson Nikki Watts: “In 2006, the Supreme Court determined that the EPA and the Corps of Engineers did not have the authority to regulate non-navigable waters under the Clean Water Act,” said Simpson. “Deciding how water is used should be the responsibility of state and local officials who are familiar with the people and local issues.  If all intrastate waters are regulated by the federal government, the language could be broadly interpreted to include everything within a state, including groundwater.”