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LaMalfa Slams “Waters of the United States” Proposal from Obama Administration

June 24, 2014

Washington, DC – Washington, DC – Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today questioned the legal basis and impact of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Waters of the United States" proposal during an oversight hearing of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power. The proposal would give the EPA jurisdiction over land use near every navigable waterway, every tributary to navigable waterways and waterways unconnected to navigable waters but nearby. The rule even removed an exemption for puddles contained in the EPA's first draft. It represents a vast expansion of federal power based upon a creative interpretation of the Clean Water Act.

"Do the American people want the federal government deciding whether they can remodel a home or landscape their yard? Do Americans want the federal government, in the guise of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to decide that they can't operate a business, maintain roads or simply continue farming the way they have for generations? I don't think that they do," said LaMalfa. "It is no exaggeration to say that this proposal would insert the federal government into land use decisions across virtually all of Northern California and the Central Valley."

"It's interesting to see this administration use the Clean Water Act as part of the pretext to expand its jurisdiction, as it routinely ignores this law in its day-to-day activities," added LaMalfa. "We've seen federal agencies, none of whom bothered to show up today, attack activities that are specifically exempted in the Act from regulation, particularly farming activities. While plowing is exempt from federal regulation, the EPA has actually decided that in some cases, plowing is in fact not plowing."

Video of Rep. LaMalfa's remarks may be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/3bhTRUaUt9Y

Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.