Diarist RockyMtnHigh has written about the
Clean Water Rule's long history. The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps released the
new rules on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 left 60 percent of nation's streams and millions of acres of wetlands without clear federal protection, according to EPA.
The new rules say a tributary must show evidence of flowing water to be protected — like a bank or a high water mark. The regulations would kick in and force a permitting process only if a business or landowner took steps to pollute or destroy those waters.
President Obama
released a statement on the new Clean Water Rules:
For more than 40 years, American families and businesses across the country have counted on the Clean Water Act to protect the streams and wetlands we rely on for our way of life – from recreation to public health to a growing economy. In recent years, however, court decisions have led to uncertainty and a need for clarification. One in three Americans now gets drinking water from streams lacking clear protection, and businesses and industries that depend on clean water face uncertainty and delay, which costs our economy every day. Too many of our waters have been left vulnerable to pollution. That’s why I called on the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear up the confusion and uphold our basic duty to protect these vital resources.
Today, after extensive input from the American public, they’re doing just that – finalizing the Clean Water Rule to restore protection for the streams and wetlands that form the foundation of our nation’s water resources, without getting in the way of farming, ranching, or forestry. This rule will provide the clarity and certainty businesses and industry need about which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act, and it will ensure polluters who knowingly threaten our waters can be held accountable. My Administration has made historic commitments to clean water, from restoring iconic watersheds like the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes to preserving more than a thousand miles of rivers and other waters for future generations. With today’s rule, we take another step towards protecting the waters that belong to all of us.
Predictably, the Grand Old Party came out swinging and
all of the buzz words got used:
“The Obama administration’s new regulation implies that Washington bureaucrats know better than the people of our state,” Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said in a statement.
“This rule is reckless and unwarranted, and I will work tirelessly to stop this expansion of federal control,” she said.
[...]
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was more forceful with his condemnation.
“The administration’s decree to unilaterally expand federal authority is a raw and tyrannical power grab that will crush jobs,” he said, noting that the majority of the House has joined various government leaders in fighting the rule.
“These leaders know firsthand that the rule is being shoved down the throats of hardworking people with no input, and places landowners, small businesses, farmers, and manufacturers on the road to a regulatory and economic hell,” Boehner said.
"Power grab", tyrannical", "bureaucrats", "shoved down the throat of hardworking people", and the always classic—"crush jobs". Oh my! Even
snowball enthusiast James Inhofe warmed his hands by the fire before pulling "increase federal control over private lands" out of his expensive suit pocket.
Like policies that address climate change, if you asked, most Americans want our waterways free from pollutants. However, like policies that address climate change, what the American people want may not matter unless they show that they really want it enough.
