WOTUS

The U.S. House of Representatives have approved a measure that would effectively kill the Environmental Protection Agency's new "Waters of the United States" rule. Congressman Dan Newhouse is pleased with the vote.

NEWHOUSE: Many people across the country perceive as a - and rightly so in my estimation as a huge overreach by the federal government to really control activity on land in almost any part of the country. It's interesting. I wish I had the words right in front of me but the way that the rule is stated that if you're essentially within 4000 feet of any body of water that that would be impacted by these new rules.

That would make almost all of the country come under the WOTUS rules

NEWHOUSE: That would mean a farmer wanting to apply fertilizer to his field likely would have to get a federal permit which is just crazy and so what we've done is passed a bill to tell the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to go back, to start the process over to get the input from the people that will be impacted by this. Not only land owners but also local governments, people all across the country that did not have their voices heard.

The measure was passed with bi-partisan support.

NEWHOUSE: This is not just a Republican issue. This is something that people in both parties recognize is a problem.

And that's Washington Ag Today. I'm Greg Martin, thanks for listening on the Ag Information Network of the West.