Many Montana representatives are accusing the Obama Administration of federal overreach after it announced new waters of the U.S. EPA regulations today, May 27.

“Once again, the Obama administration is pushing forward its extreme agenda with little regard for its devastating impacts on Montanans," Said Montana Senator Steve Daines. "By expanding the EPA’s powers to regulate virtually any spot across the country that is occasionally wet, this new rule has the potential to cripple Montana’s agriculture and natural resources industries, hurt Montana jobs and threaten Montanans’ property rights. Montanans who live and work on the land every day know how to best manage our state’s resources – not federal bureaucrats in Washington who want to regulate every pond, puddle, and ditch in our state."

Congressman Ryan Zinke accused the administration of being “lawless.”

"It's a lawless administration in many ways, and this is what occurs, I think, when it's an administration out of control with an agenda," Zinke said. "Water is tremendously important to Montana, especially with agriculture and recreation."

Zinke points out that the U.S. Supreme Court has twice ruled to limit the Federal regulatory power to navigable waters and says he fears that the new regulations are a back door to even more federal control.

"In our Constitution in Montana, our water is sovereign," Zinke said. "We just went through some really painful water compacts and to have the federal government come in and say 'now we're going to regulate intermittent streams, we're going to regulate standing water and cow ponds.'" to me it is a back-door to regulating ground water and I think it is a legitimate threat. Congress, I think, will adequately rise and make sure this president doesn't overreach."

Zinke says he expects congress to take up the matter when it comes back in session next week. According to Zinke a lawsuit on the regulations filed in coordination with state Attorney’s General is highly likely in the near future.

 

 

 

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