Clean water rule doesn’t cover most ag work-EPA chief | Food and Environment Reporting Network

Normal agricultural activities are exempt from regulation under the Clean Water Act and the proposed “Waters of the United States” regulation won’t change that, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. The rule, proposed in March, is opposed vocally in farm country. The American Farm Bureau Federation, for example, began a “ditch the rule” campaign out of concern of federal regulation of farm ditches.

McCarthy told a National Farmers Union meeting that EPA would put a detailed question-and-answer entry on its Web site to clarify the scope of the proposal, which is open for public comment through Oct 20. “EPA is not interested in moving forward a final rule that makes farming more difficult,” she said. When asked about maps show a spider web of waterways covering the country, she said, “Those maps are not intended to be jurisdictional in any way.” Critics say the maps show the potential scope of the rule, says Feedstuffs.

The seven-page EPA question-and-anwer post is available here.