Friday, December 05, 2014

EPA, Corps May Withdraw Interpretive Rule On Permit-Exempt Conservation Practices

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers haven't ruled out the option of withdrawing a non-binding interpretive rule that outlines agricultural conservation practices that would be exempt from Clean Water Act dredge-and-fill permits due to the confusion it has caused among farmers and ranchers, an Agriculture Department official said Dec. 3. “It is one of the options that is being considered,” Jason Weller, chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, told Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. The committee convened the hearing to examine voluntary approaches by farmers and ranchers to improve water and soil quality. Roberts, who will take over as the committee chairman when the 114th Congress convenes in January, asked Weller why the agencies even chose to single out 56 conservation practices as being exempt when the Clean Water Act already exempts all normal agricultural and silvicultural practices from a requirement to obtain Section 404 dredge-and-fill permits. Weller deferred to the EPA and the corps on the need to issue the interpretive rule, saying they are reviewing the 1 million or so comments received on the waters of the U.S. proposed rule...more 



 Weller then testifies:

At the same time, Weller defended the agencies, saying “their intent was good, but unfortunately a lot of concerns were raised,” and much confusion has ensued as a result of the conservation practices that were identified in the interpretive rule.

Their intent was good? And the only reason they may withdraw that section is because all of us country rubes are "confused"? 

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