EPA land grab?

[dogg57]

In what critics are describing as a government land grab, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a change Tuesday to the Clean Water Act that would give it regulatory authority over temporary wetlands and waterways.
The proposal immediately sparked concerns that the regulatory power could extend into seasonal ponds, streams and ditches, including those on private property.
"The ... rule may be one of the most significant private property grabs in U.S. history," said Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-claims-authority-over-more-streams-wetlands/

 

[bobpbx]

“These places are where we get our drinking water, and where we hunt, fish, swim and play,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said as she announced the proposed rule. Environmentalists argue that these waters are critical to both fish and waterfowl, even if they are dry for parts of the year.

Whit Fosburgh, president and chief executive of the nonprofit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership of hunting and fishing organizations, extolled the virtue of clean water. “Headwater streams . . . that is where all the fish come from,” he said. “All of them spawn in headwater streams triggered by snow melt and other runoff. We’ll hear a lot of talk about the economic impact of the rule.” Hunting and fishing is a $2-billion-a-year enterprise, generating more than $125 billion in state and federal taxes. Fosburgh applauded the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers for the proposed rule. “We actually wanted to make it even stronger,” he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...11cd36-b42c-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html

 

[Gibby]

 

[manumuskin]

Never trust anyone who can't pronounce their R's. Hey! Wait a minute.Thats my mother in laws entire family

 

[46er]

 

[amf]

Kind of a moot point here in NJ since DEP already has that authority. EPA thought they had it until several conflicting court opinions muddied their waters (probably because the initial wetland regs came from the Army Corps of Engineers and had differing regulatory goals, but that's just my opinion).