The largest U.S. farm group strongly criticized a proposed clean water rule as “an unlawful expansion of federal regulation to cover routine farming and ranching practices as well as other common private land uses, such as building homes.” Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the proposal, now open for public comment, could result in farmers needing a permit for ordinary field work, building fences or planting crops. The Farm Bureau said it would ask its members to weigh in on the proposal.
When it unveiled the proposal in late March, the administration said it would exempt 56 conservation practices from needing a permit. “Any agriculture activity that does not result in the discharge of a pollutant to waters of the U.S. still does not require a permit,” it said. For more on the proposed rule, click here.