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The Environmental Protection Agency gets criticized often for meddling in the lives of everyday Americans, but a new agency rule that went into effect in late August may be its biggest power grab yet – affecting millions of property owners who now may find themselves in EPA crosshairs.
At issue is the Clean Water Rule, which expands the definition of waters under the EPA’s jurisdiction so broadly that creeks, streams and even ditches will be regulated now. That’s according to a new report released by the James Madison Institute, which says the EPA’s “expansion of federal power may be unrivaled in American federal regulatory history.”
Dan Peterson of the James Madison Institute is the guest on this week’s edition of Off The Grid Radio, and he says the controversy over the water rule is not hyperbole. We spoke with Dan hours after a federal judge blocked enforcement of the water rule, although the Obama administration said the ruling will impact only 13 states within the circuit.
The new regulations could result in fees of anywhere from $28,000 to $270,000 for property owners – fees that just a few months ago didn’t exist.
Dan tells us:
- How the water rule covers not only streams, rivers and creeks but also, in some cases, dry land.
- What could happen to property owners who reside on land that now falls under the EPA’s jurisdiction.
- How the EPA redefined “navigable waters” it regulates to include “non-navigable waters,” and why that defies federal law.
- Why the EPA, even it wins on appeal, may ultimately lose in federal court.
- How the James Madison Institute can say it opposes the Clean Water Rule while still being in favor of clean water.
This issue is one that will impact millions of Americans in urban and rural areas who have never had contact with the EPA – and end up costing them thousands. If you care about individual liberty, you don’t want to miss this show!
