A couple of weeks ago the rain started early one Sunday
morning and did not let up until almost noon. It was a rain like we had not had
in a long time (I am sorry for my drought stricken friends this may be a little
hard to read). It was a great rain, it came steady and the dry ground really
soaked it up. I believe (and it is only a guess since yours truly did not
remember to take in his rain gauge last fall), that we received about three
inches of rain.
Even though the rain came fairly slowly it still saturated
the soil and because of that water started to run off. Soon there was a nice
little stream running down the hillside by my house and down the road. The
inner child in me wanted to put my boots on, grab a toy boat and float it down
the very temporary stream. Then I realized that would be a very bad idea.
Why would that be a bad idea? It would only prove that my
little temporary stream was navigable on some level. The next logical question
would be who cares? Well apparently the EPA and the Corp of Engineers in all of
their glorious wisdom and endless red tape cares. Under a new rule through the
Clean Water Act, the EPA and the Corp of Engineers would like to declare my
little raging river of fifteen minutes part of the “Waters of the U.S.”.
Why is this problem? This proposed new rule would declare almost
every puddle, temporary stream, ditch, diversion or any other water hole part
of the “Waters of the U.S.” and there is the problem. As part of the “Waters of
the U.S.” almost every piece of land we farm or ranch would come under the
regulation of the EPA and Corp of Engineers. Normal farming activities such as
fence building, spraying and tillage could need a permit before they could be
completed.
I don’t know about you, but I can only imagine the red tape
and the waiting period that would come with any EPA or Corp of Engineers permit
(not to mention cost). We all know what kind of time we have to wait around
during the spring, the weather is usually nice and we have plenty of time to
get things done. No, we are usually on a tight time frame in between weather
systems and we cannot be delayed. Don’t overlook the fact that if we have to
apply for a permit, it gives these two governmental agencies the ability to
control how we farm and ranch.
In fairness, the EPA says that it will not bother us and
that this rule is only meant to cover just a very few acres. Maybe they are
telling the truth, but is this a chance you want to take? We live in a time
when the increasing weight of federal government oversight makes it harder and
harder to do our jobs and grow the food that even bureaucrats need. Another
side of this issue that makes me just as nervous is the fact that the proposed
new rule did not come down from congress. This is something the EPA and the
Corp of Engineers created to take more control away from local and state
agencies. Our elected officials are almost powerless to change this rule. I
don’t think this is how it is supposed to work.
We do have a chance to voice our opinions on this proposed
new rule but the time is getting short. We have until July 21 to go to the EPA
and comment. Please before you do this do some research and make sure you have
all the facts, don’t take my word, read the information and make up your own
mind. Information is easy to find, and I am sure you have already heard and
read quite a bit about this. Folks, if there was ever a time to take action, it
is now.
I fear the noose of regulation will keep getting tighter and
tighter and all of this in a time when we need to be more productive than we
have ever been in agriculture. We know how to best care for the land and water
we depend on and we need to be able to make those decisions on our own farms
and in a timely manner. Let’s all let the EPA and Corps know that their boat
just won’t float and to ditch the rule.
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