Submit Comments to Stop EPA from Expanding Clean Water Act Authority

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) recently proposed an expansion of their federal authority over "waters of the U.S." The agencies have proposed to redefine the definition of "Waters of the United States," and that new definition would require cattle ranchers to get the permission of the federal government anytime they needed to expand, do maintenance, or perform routine activities like driving a tractor through a pasture. Almost all activities on our open land will now touch a "water of the United States" under the expanded definition. 

Many cattle operations will be required to get Sec. 402 NPDES permits, Sec. 404 Dredge and Fill permits, or Sec. 311 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) spill plans. The expansion flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution, the plain language of the Clean Water Act, and Congressional intent and is therefore illegal.

The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register and is now open for comments. Tell the agency that they have stepped over the line and the proposed rule should NOT be finalized.

IBA leaders just returned from Washington, D.C., where they had a chance to express their concerns over this regulation to many within Illinois’ congressional delegation. It's now more crucial for cattlemen to voice their opinion. Support the effort to defeat this overreaching guidance document by submitting comments to the EPA and Army Corps. You can also Click here to quickly send a letter to your members of Congress today. A template is provided for both, and will take no more than a couple minutes to send.

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Lyon McDonald, NCBA Deputy Environmental Counsel, at amcdonald@beef.org or call 202-347-0228.