EPA overstepping its bounds again
Regarding Kristen Anders' comment of Sept. 13 on "closing the loophole that is ruining our water," this message does not describe the overstepping of power by the EPA, again! The fight against the "reading" of the Clean Water Act by the EPA is questionable at best. I, like everyone else, am all for clean water, but the EPA is saying it has the jurisdictional authority to govern every "overflow rivulet" in the United States.
If you have any property that has an area where water drains during a heavy rainfall, they want total control over that part of your property. Big Agribusiness, as she puts it, actually means every farmer in the country, large and small family-owned farms alike. If, for instance I have a serious weed, fungus or insect problem in my production field I need to correct it immediately. Under the EPA's interpretation of the rule, every overflow path would need a permit or permission to control the problem.
How is the EPA going to provide immediate oversight of hundreds or thousands of acres of crops in a timely fashion? If I want to till an overflow area, to plant a grass waterway, I would have to submit to permits and design criteria from the EPA.
The EPA already covers all navigable waterways and marshlands, and this power grab will cripple the farming community and everyone else. So if you think that calling the EPA to spray dandelions in a small drain area of your lawn makes sense, have at it! This unwarranted power grab by the EPA is nonsense.
Larry Coltrin
Schaumburg