EPA---Proposed Expansion of Water Authority

PROPOSED EXPANSION OF WATER AUTHORITY WOULD EXTEND FEDERAL CONTROL TO VIRTUALLY ALL U.S. LANDS

WATERS OF THE U.S. There is a proposal that redefines federal authority over the water--and thus the lands--of the United States. The impact is best illustrated by the maps below. The Clean Water Act authority shown in the first map would be extended to the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act authority shown in the second map; essentially, a takeover of all land in the United States. This proposal has been in the works since at least October, 2006 when the second map was prepared for Rep. Oberstar by the Democratic staff of the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure.

We are in the comment period. According to Doyel Shamley, state and federal representatives across the nation were informed of this proposal weeks ago. The deadline for comments is in 3-4 days. You are urged to contact your county, state, and federal representatives to determine what, if anything, they are doing about this. Here are the links:
http://blog.epa.gov/science/2013/09/epa-science-supporting-the-waters-of-the-u-s/

Click the link: "Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence" to download the report.

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=238345#Download

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/02ad90b136fc21ef85256eba00436459/7724357376745f48852579e60043e88c!OpenDocument

 JURISDICTION Ultimately, Jurisdiction is the way to Defend Rural America.

EPA Science: Supporting the Waters of the U.S. 2013 September 17
Reposted from EPA Connect, the Official Blog of EPA’s Leadership
By Nancy Stoner and Lek Kadeli

One of the great environmental success stories of our time is the Clean Water Act. Forty years ago, the condition of U.S. rivers, streams, lakes, coastal areas and other water resources was a national concern.

Things started to improve after the newly-established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was given direction “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters” through major revisions to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (now the Clean Water Act).

But over the past decade, court decisions have created uncertainty about the Clean Water Act’s protection of certain streams and wetlands from pollution and development. In particular, the confusion centers on questions surrounding small streams and wetlands—some of which only flow after precipitation or dry up during parts of the year—and what role they play in the health of larger water bodies nearby or downstream.

This week, EPA’s Science Advisory Board released for public comment a draft scientific report, “Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence.” This draft report synthesizes more than 1,000 peer-reviewed pieces of scientific literature about how smaller, isolated water bodies are connected to larger ones and represents the state-of-the-science on the connectivity and isolation of waters in the United States.

Read more…

Article from PLF:

Water War ramps up!

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EPA---Merkley and IUCN & UPEACE
The Federalization of Local Urban Renewal Agencies
Congressman Peter DeFazio & The Land and Water Conservation Fund
USFWS---Land & Water Conservation Fund---National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
USFWS---Three Articles relevant to the LWCF and the NFWF
EPA---Asthma Inhalers Relief Act of 2012
EPA---What Do Wolves Have To Do With Agenda 21?
WANTED:  Examples of Economic Hardship Due to ESA Critical Habitat
More EPA Abuse.....
Is the EPA superagency bigger than the President & Congress?
Preserve the Waters of the US Act
House Committee: EPA Overstepped Its Authority

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