Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for a report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC).
“The FRRCC represents a diverse group of stakeholders including academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments,” said Scott Yager, NCBA Chief Environmental Counsel. “NCBA strongly supports the committee’s recommendation to develop a clear and limited WOTUS definition and protect key exemptions for common agricultural features. With the EPA’s convoluted approach to soliciting public comments and stakeholder perspectives on WOTUS, NCBA encourages the EPA to listen to its own advisory committee’s recommendation, and the recommendation is clear: farmers and ranchers need clear rules and regulatory certainty to be successful.”
The FRRCC’s recommendations include:
- Ensuring EPA compliance with the Clean Water Act and Supreme Court precedent limiting federal jurisdiction over bodies of water.
- Developing a clear definition of WOTUS that is easily interpreted by farmers and ranchers.
- Protecting WOTUS exemptions for common agricultural features, including farm ditches, stock ponds, prairie potholes, prior converted cropland, and other small, isolated water features.
- Reconsidering the EPA roundtable process to ensure that all stakeholders have an opportunity to voice concerns on WOTUS rulemaking.