Another day, another right trampled
April 13, 2014
By Congressman Raul Labrador

Nearly every day, the Obama administration announces a new policy or regulation that undermines our Constitutional rights and stifles our economy. The EPA, in particular, has put out some egregious regulations that have a direct and negative impact on the people of Idaho.

We saw that recently when, on March 25, the EPA proposed an aggressive expansion of its regulatory authority over local bodies of waters and surrounding property. Under the Clean Water Act (CWA) – which was first passed in 1972 – the EPA has authority over “traditionally navigable waters.” While that term was slightly ambiguous, for decades, the EPA understood there were certain lines it couldn’t cross. Now, the EPA wants to cross those lines. Specifically, it wants to remove the word “navigable” from its enforcement of the CWA and change how “waterways” are defined in order to capture virtually all land in America.

The most obvious effect of the EPA’s plan is that it would increase the number of waters subject to federal water quality standards, adding costs to Idaho’s farmers and small business owners. But it goes beyond that.

If the EPA’s plan is implemented, their bureaucrats would have jurisdiction over virtually the whole country. Basically, if water can flow on your property, you might find yourself subject to EPA control. Virtually every farmer, rancher and homeowner in America might have to apply for federal permits to do anything on their land.

To prevent this disaster, I am a cosponsor of HR 3377, the Defense of Environment and Property Act. This bill would stop the EPA power grab by clarifying existing law under the Clean Water Act.

Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not have regulatory power over puddles, ditches, and other water sources that have no connection to interstate commerce. It’s time for the EPA needs to be reined in. I am committed to protecting Idaho’s property owners and imposing common sense on an agency that desperately needs it.