The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the comment period on the new clean water rules. The latest rule broadly expands federal jurisdiction and threatens local land-use and zoning authority.
“The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased the EPA has extended the time available to comment on new and highly burdensome clean water rules. This is a victory for farming families and a clear signal that America’s farmers know how to stand up and be counted,” American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman said in a statement.
“EPA has misled the regulated community about the rule’s impacts on land use. If more people knew how regulators want to require permits for common activities on dry land, or penalize landowners for not getting them, they would be outraged,” said Stallman.
Farmers have until Oct. 20 to comment on the Waters of the United States rule, and until July 7 to comment on the accompanying interpretive rule. Stallman encourages farmers to use this time to its best advantage and “we will ditch this rule.”