Proposal would give Federal Government Authority to regulate ditches, ponds and rain puddles on Private Property
Greenville County Council has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the proposed expansion of federal control of private property under the Clean Water Act.
The federal government is implementing United Nations Agenda 21. The intent is to effectively eliminate private property ownership and use. Implementation of this despicable agenda must be stopped if the God-given right of property ownership is to survive the current environmental extremists funded by tax dollars and their representatives in government.
The Resolution proposed by Councilman Joe Dill states that “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have released a 371 page draft regulation for Definition of Waters of the U. S. under the “Clean Water Act.”
The Resolution states that “both agencies are seeking a rule change to give the federal government more authority by expanding the definition of ‘navigable waters’ in the Clean Water Act.
“The rule change proposed by the EPA and Corps would subject almost all physical areas with a connection to downstream navigable waters, including features such as ditches, natural or man-made ponds, and flood plains, to the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.”
The county Resolution expressed the view that, “it is impractical for the federal government to regulate every ditch, pond and rain puddle that may have some tenuous connection to a body of water miles away currently defined as ‘navigable.’
“Expanding federal regulation in this manner will continue an unacceptable level of uncertainty in the permitting process, increase permitting costs for applicants, and have a significant negative impact on the cost of infrastructure construction and maintenance.”
The United States Supreme Court has previously reprimanded the Environmental Protection Agency for overreaching their authority and Congress has expressed concern with this effort to re-define the scope of federal power under the Clean Water Act.
The Resolution resolves that Greenville County Council “hereby opposes additional regulations that have been proposed by the EPA to expand the current definition of ‘Waters of the United States’ and to increase federal oversight and enforcement with respect to the Clean Water Act and Waters of the United States.”
The council resolved that a copy of the resolution be forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, and all members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.