The Water Information Program

According to U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, the key sponsor of the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act agreed this week to slow down efforts to pass the legislation through Congress. The bill has been criticized for expanding the federal government’s jurisdiction over water in the United States. Rep. James Oberstar, a Democrat from Minnesota and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is the prime sponsor of H.R. 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act, which claims to clarify the federal government’s role in dealing with water pollution by saying the feds have oversight on activities that affect “waters of the United States.” That’s a change from the current language, which says the act applies to “navigable waters.” The bill defines “waters of the United States” as “all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments.” Water users, including farmers, ranchers, municipalities and sportsmen, claim the new definition is too broad and goes beyond the intent of the original law, the Clean Water Act. It would impede normal agricultural activities and impose mandates on local governments and pre-empt private property rights, according to opponents.

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