AAW Opposes Clean Water Act Change
American-Agri Women opposes change in Clean Water Act
St. Paul, MN…….American Agri-Women (AAW) passed a resolution opposing expansion of the jurisdictional reach of the Clean Water Act as proposed in HR 2421 and SB 1870, The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 at their 2007 annual convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.In HR 2421 and SB 1870 the new definition of “waters of the United States”— which strikes all mention of the word “navigable” and replaces it with a new legislative definition of “waters of the United States” and all “activities affecting these waters,” — is a massive red flag to all property owners and resource providers. If this passes, the federal government will have the authority to control all our water and all activities affecting our water, preempting state and local government authority over land and water use decisions and possibly requiring permits for anything we do, such as pesticide application or even plowing.
These bills would also grant the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the first time ever authority over “all activities affecting these waters” (private or public), regardless of whether the activity is occurring in water or whether the activity actually adds a pollutant to the water.
AAW members, and all property owners, are urged to call their senators and representatives and tell them how this change in HR 2421 and SB 1870 will impact them.
Contact: Arlene Kovash, VP Communications, 503-838-3512