A field hand watches an irrigation sprinkler on a 195-acre field of newly planted onions along U.S. 34 near the Weld and Morgan County line in 1998. (Denver Post file)
Re: “New rule safeguards Clean Water Act,” June 17 guest commentary.
While I totally agree with Kent Peppler and David Nickum that Colorado s U.S. senators have a critical role to play in responding to EPA s Waters of the U.S. rule, I strongly disagree with the rest of what they had to say in their guest commentary.
Of course farmers and ranchers are in favor of clean water. They re true conservationists, who make a living off the land. But what many of us dislike about this EPA proposal is that it s too broadly written, imposing additional unneeded regulation and unjust new costs on Coloradans without any clear benefit it terms of cleaner water.
Originally, the Clean Water Act concerned only navigable waters of the U.S. But the all-encompassing definition of that phrase used by federal agencies eventually prompted legal challenges, leading the U.S. Supreme Court to once again place limits on the scope of federal regulatory powers. This new rule is the EPA s way of reclaiming regulatory territory it lost in court. The EPA is reasserting authority over non-navigable bodies of water, including all tributaries, adjacent waters, wetlands and other privately owned waterways, many of which are seasonal in nature.
As written, this new EPA proposal grants the EPA regulatory authority over almost any Colorado body of water federal agencies lay claim to. Such overreach does not serve the best interest of the citizens of this state. But it s especially worrying to farmers and ranchers, who now must fear potential federal meddling at every turn.
As a legislator, I approach a specific problem and deal with it concretely. I would be overreaching if I tried to fix an imaginary problem, which could very well create unintended consequences. That is why we should be diligent in not allowing the cleanest water in the country to be muddied up by the federal government.
What I want is the Clean Water Act of 1972 as written by Congress. What I do not want are the proposed rule changes to the CWA that produce only more rules and regulations, not tangible benefits for Coloradans.
Larry Crowder, Alamosa
The writer represents District 35 in the Colorado Senate.
This letter was published online only.
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