New Federal Power Grab Over Water!
Yet another version of a bill pertaining to clean water that goes far beyond
protecting our waterways; it would end local control of much acreage that is
privately held. And, Colorado's state resources? Every reservoir?
Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee says the aim of his newly introduced legislation, H.R.
5088: America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act, is simply to restore the Clean
Water Act of 1972 to its original intent.
Oberstar’s H.R. 5088 would explicitly replace every occurrence of “navigable
waters” with “waters of the United States” in the “Federal Water Pollution
Control Act” of 1972. In addition, this bill would define “waters of the United
States” in an amazingly expansive way to explicitly provide federal
jurisdiction over “streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats,
sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or
natural ponds.”
This would grant the federal government and its various regulatory
bureaucracies control over millions and millions of acres of privately owned
land, from farms and ranches to small land owners who happen to have ponds,
depressions, prairie holes, and low-lying areas where water collects.
Well beyond the scope of water, the measure would also extend federal authority
over prior converted cropland. This proposal hidden in the bill would give the
federal regulators control over an additional 53 million acres of land.
H.R. 5088 is currently sitting in the Subcommittee on Water Resources and
Environment. Pressure should be brought to bear on these 36 people so that the
bill doesn’t make it out onto the House floor for a vote. However, it would be
wise to contact your congressmen to let them know of your opposition to
expanded federal authority over those drops of water that happen to occupy the
same square inch.
Is water important to YOU?
Hon. G. T. "Bud" Martin, Ph.D. [INTJ] WORDSMITH
"Let the light shine in ... ."
Major USAFR/ANG (Ret.)
dba COMMAND COMPANY
Arvada CO Libertarian
KV4FR
aka "Tom Curtis"
-Author/Editor/Educator
"On target, on time, on budget!"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
