Gosar Condemns EPA Water-Grab Proposal

Press Release

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) issued the following statement after joining 230 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and John M. McHugh, Secretary of the Department of the Army, urging them to withdraw a scientifically and economically flawed rule that would expand the federal government's role under the Clean Water Act:

"The EPA has no legal authority to expand the definition of navigable waters under the Clean Water Act, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear. Only Congress has such authority. The EPA is once again overreaching and attempting to seize control of more of our resources - in this case water - by attempting to expand the definition of navigable waters to include things like intrastate waters, farm and stock ponds, prior converted crop lands, prairie potholes and trenches that contain rainwater. This proposed water grab runs contrary to state water law and existing compacts and would have devastating economic consequences for farmers, ranchers, small businesses and water users in Arizona and throughout the country.

"Central Arizona Project is concerned that the proposal could include the CAP aqueduct system, potentially affecting water delivery to over 80 percent of the state's population and one-third of Arizona's economy. Arizonans can't afford more economic hurdles and extortions of precious water supplies from an overzealous federal government. I demand that Administer McCarthy and Secretary McHugh immediately withdraw this significantly flawed and overreaching regulatory proposal that will result in a federal takeover of state waters."

Kevin Rogers, President of the Arizona Farm Bureau, said, "Puddles, ponds, ditches and water tanks have no business being reclassified as navigable as proposed under the new EPA rule. Congress, not the EPA, makes the laws. The Clean Water Act has been very clear on what navigable is and our farm ditches and ponds are not! We thank Congressman Gosar for asking EPA to Ditch The Rule!"

Source