Every summer, Jack Field takes his herd of about a hundred cows to graze in the same floodplain — a low, flat stretch of land next to a river — in Yakima, Wash.
Under newly proposed regulations, he may not be able to go back next summer. And that’s just one of many problems he says the new rules would create for his business.
“I don’t think the negative impacts of this definition can be overstated,” Field, a cattle rancher, said during a congressional hearingconcerning the proposal on Thursday. “It has the potential to impact every aspect of my operation and others like it.”
At issue is the definition of federally protected waters. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency pitched new rules meant to clarify and expand its regulatory reach under the Clean Water Act to include small streams, riverbanks, wetlands and floodplains.
Gina McCarthy, the agency’s administrator, has defended the proposal, saying that it would not significantly expand the department’s authority to monitor and regulate waters.
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Have the feds even thought of showing any evidence whatsoever that cattle grazing on such land affects water quality in a negative way?
ReplyDeleteI mean, fish poop in the drinking water. Just because they do does not mean it's a bad thing.