EPA Clean Water Act Regulations Rejected
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott RejectedFederal Clean Water ActRegulations Proposed ByEnvironmental Protection Agency
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today released the following statement on proposed federal regulations that unlawfully claim the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act authority extends to stock tanks, small ponds and dry ditches:
"The EPA has no authority to regulate dry ditches and stock tanks on private property, but that is exactly what the Obama Administration is trying to achieve under new rules proposed by the EPA and the Corps of Engineers.First, the EPA has attempted to regulate ‘emissions' from schools, churches and apartment buildings, and now they are claiming they can micromanage dry ditches on private property. So today we are beginning the first step in the process of challenging these proposed regulations, which are unlawful and exceed the EPA's authority to regulate navigable waters."
Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA only has authority to regulate "navigable waters," according to an attorney general's office release.Under new regulations proposed by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Obama Administration is proposing to dramatically expand the EPA's regulatory authority by claiming that "navigable waters" include solitary ponds on private property and even what the EPA's proposal refers to as "ditches," the release stated.
Abbott submitted formal comments to the EPA and the Corps of Engineers opposing the proposed regulations and explaining that the EPA is attempting to regulate private property that clearly falls outside the agency's jurisdiction.
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