Blog: The Defense of Environment and Property Act

Statement

It's no secret that President Obama's EPA has been one of the most aggressive in history. They have implemented countless regulations that have hurt Arkansans and our state economy. Recently, I sponsored H.R. 3377, the Defense of Environment and Property Act, legislation that protects Arkansas's private landowners from the EPA's regulatory overreach by restricting the navigable waters designation to the historical definition.

Under new regulations, the EPA has seized the ability to regulate intermittent streams, culverts, and other such bodies of water. This gives them the power to dictate Arkansans' planting schedule, how much manure or fertilizer a farmer can put on their fields, and even how often they can run a tractor. Arkansas has a long history of protecting our lands; Washington bureaucrats shouldn't be telling us how to do a job we've been doing well for generations.

This legislation would:

* Redefine "navigable waters" to explicitly clarify that waters must be a permanent body of water
* Exclude the streams that sometimes form when rain falls from federal jurisdiction.
* Restrain the EPA and the Army Corps from future regulations or interpretations that would change the definition of a navigable water in the future, without Congressional authorization.
* Protect the rights of states to have primary authority over the land and water within their borders.
* Prohibit federal agents from entering private property without the express consent of the landowner.
* Require the government to pay double the value of the land to any landowner whose property value is diminished by a wetlands designation.

I am committed to protecting Arkansans from the regulatory overreach of President Obama's EPA. Please click here to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up-to-date on my efforts.

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