Last spring the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a proposed rule to expand the scope of their influence under the Clean Water Act attempting to redefine navigable waters. In encourage you to call a senator to help repeal it’s passage.

What is it the CWA and WOTUS?
The CWA is an abbreviation for the Clean Water Act which was originally passed by Congress in 1972 and said the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters were banned without the use of a federal permit. WOTUS is an abbreviation which stands for Waters of the U.S – navigable waters and tributaries near wetlands.

The EPA’s most recent definition of navigable waters essentially includes anywhere water has ever left a mark upon the land. This includes areas that are dry ninety percent of the time but have had rainfall which left a mark upon the land.

What farmers consider plant nutrients and protections for their crop such as fertilizer and herbicides to control weeds are categorized as pollutants by the EPA and are not exempt along with 56 other traditional farm practices.

To do something as simple as build a fence along or near a ditch, use pesticides or fertilizer on your crop or control weeds using herbicides you will now need a permit. This isn’t congress authorized, these are just aggressive federal agencies with a flawed scientific report to justify private land seizure.You can also look at a breakdown by state: http://fbnews.fb.org/Templates/Article.aspx?id=39012.

Be a good citizen and protect those who feed you.