Democrats in Senate to vote on control of all private land this Thursday
By Gretchen Randall
Date: June 16, 2009
Issue: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) will likely hold a vote on the Clean Water Restoration Act (S787) Thursday, June 18th. The bill introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) gives the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA control over all private property in the U.S. by changing the definition of “wetlands” under the Clean Water Act of 1972 thereby expanding the regulatory reach of the Corps and EPA over private property.
In 2001 and 2006 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government does not have authority to regulate, under the Clean Water Act, waters that are not part of or directly connected to "navigable waters." Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) are leading the fight to eliminate the requirement that the Corps and EPA limit their jurisdiction to “navigable” waters and give those agencies control over all waters of the US or “activities” affecting those waters. Opponents warn that this would lead to national land control because even dry land is in or adjacent to a watershed.
Comment 1: All bodies of water, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, mudflats, sand flats, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playas and natural ponds…as well as areas that might occasionally get wet, such as roadside ditches and agricultural drains would be covered by this legislation. So before you could build a deck, add a hot tub or even build a house, you might have to get a federal land permit.
Comment 2: Democrats are trying to grab control of everything they can before the American people realize we have become a socialist state much like Russia.
Background and links: The first vote is Thursday in the Senate EPW committee. So far only a Senate bill, S.787, has been introduced. To get a list of senators on this committee and their phone numbers, go to: http://www.landrights.org/