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Johnson seeks clarification of EPA water rule

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) joined with his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack concerning the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA’s proposed rule intended to clarify applicability of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and an associated interpretative rule for normal farming practices.

Johnson also released the following statement:

“I’ve been hearing from agricultural producers throughout South Dakota concerned about the potential for unintended consequences resulting from these rules. The letter we sent to the Administration conveys those concerns and seeks clarification from the agencies. Since the current approach to determining applicability of the Clean Water Act is largely dysfunctional, ditching the rulemaking process, as some have suggested, is shortsighted. Instead, the Administration should consider the input of all stakeholders, including South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers, to ensure that any final rule is clear for producers and maintains commonsense exemptions for normal farming and ranching activities.”



–Senator Johnson