{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=8DC79322-9C32-424C-AC3D-5559DAC0E3A6", "Weekly Column: Stopping a Federal Land Grab", "2014-11-14", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Kristi Noem", "N000184", "noem.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "November 14 marked the last day where the public could comment on what could become the largest federal land grab in our country\u2019s history.\u00a0 So, what\u2019s the next step?\r\nLast March, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers proposed changing the definition of \u201cwaters of the U.S.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s one of those things bureaucracies try to do to expand their control.\u00a0 Currently, the term \u201cwaters of the U.S.\u201d encompasses all waters that are navigable or waterways that significantly connect to navigable ones.\u00a0 What the EPA and Army Corps are trying to do is expand the rule to include much smaller bodies of water and even some areas that are only seasonally wet.\u00a0\r\nIn practical terms, it could mean ditches, small ponds, and prairie potholes could be regulated by the EPA and Army Corps.\u00a0 Farmers, ranchers, and homeowners could have to get permits for things like controlling bugs and weeds on their fields or lawn \u2013 or building a fence around their property.\u00a0 If you fail to comply, fines could reach as high as $37,500 per violation per day.\r\nIt\u2019s not difficult to see why folks are so concerned and why many I spoke to planned to submit a comment to regulators.\u00a0 Even though the public comment period is now expired, our fight continues.\r\nThe strategy we\u2019re taking is two pronged:\u00a0 Cut off the resources needed to move the proposal forward and apply as much pressure as we can on the EPA and Army Corps to withdraw the proposal.\u00a0 It\u2019s a strategy that I\u2019ve helped make work in the past.\u00a0\r\nWhen I was first elected to Congress, the EPA was reviewing their regulations on dust, including dust that is part of many everyday farming activities.\u00a0 We applied legislative pressure through a bill I wrote and the EPA moved in a different direction.\u00a0 In another instance, we combined pressure from Congress and pressure from the public to get the Department of Labor to rescind a rule that could have banned kids from doing some chores on their relative\u2019s or neighbor\u2019s farms.\u00a0 And when OSHA was attempting to impose hefty regulations and fines on small family farms, we took the agency head on and they reversed course.\r\nAlready, I have helped the House pass limited legislation to ensure FY2015 funds are not used to move the EPA\u2019s proposal forward; the bill has not been taken up by the Senate, however.\u00a0 I have thrown my support behind H.R.5078, which prohibits the EPA and Army Corps from developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing \u2013 in other words, moving forward in any way \u2013 the proposal.\u00a0 Myself and more than 200 other Members of Congress \u2013 both Republicans and Democrats \u2013 have written the EPA and Army Corps about our concerns as well.\u00a0 And I will continue to do all I can to fight this rule.\r\nWhat I\u2019ve had a hard time understanding \u2013 and what I bluntly asked an administration official who was testifying before the Agriculture Committee a few months ago \u2013 is why they are pursuing the rule they claim is helpful when almost everybody is opposed to it.\u00a0 Needless to say, I didn\u2019t get a straightforward response.\r\nWe all ought to be able to turn on the faucet or go fishing and know the water is safe.\u00a0 But there has to be a way to do it without farmers, ranchers, homeowners, and property owners having to turn to the EPA when they want to put up a fence.\u00a0 It\u2019s just not practical.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=8DC79322-9C32-424C-AC3D-5559DAC0E3A6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4329440891742706, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}