NFU Board Expresses Support for Baucus Clean Water Amendment
For Immediate Release: June 17, 2009
Contact: 202-554-1600MINNEAPOLIS (June 17, 2009) - The National Farmers Union Board of Directors meeting today in Minneapolis urged the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to support an amendment that would clarify the intent and maintain the integrity of the Clean Water Act.
The amendment, to be offered by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., seeks to restore the Clean Water Act’s original intent, minimize costly litigation and expedite the permitting process for agricultural producers.
“By placing existing regulatory exemptions in legal statute and legislatively clarifying the exemptions for prior converted cropland, farmers and ranchers will be able to predict what resources are subject to Clean Water Act regulation with greater certainty,” the board wrote in a letter to Baucus
The letter stated that as a result of much litigation, the original intent and scope of the Clean Water Act has been confused. “A clear and concise method of determining jurisdiction and permitting would allow farmers and ranchers to continue to be proactive stewards of all environmental resources.”
The Senate Environment and Public Works committee plans to mark up the Clean Water Restoration Act tomorrow.
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