Roundtables continue on the topic of the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. In June of last year, the EPA and ACE announced their intention to rewrite the rule. It is a concern for farmers, ranchers, and agriculture groups around the nation. The government agencies agreed to allow ten regional roundtable discussions with stakeholders. During the roundtable focused on the Southeast region, Kate English, a farmer and attorney who also serves at the Florida Farm Bureau, was one of the speakers.
“Even in instances where we have nationwide permits that in theory should be relatively quick to review, in Florida, they can take an incredible amount of time. Months, if not years. And, the lack of clarity, lack of consistency, and lack of timeliness and the threat to agricultural productivity because of these determinations, or the lack of these determinations, result in substantial economic harm to farmers and ranchers,” she said. “If you can’t irrigate a crop because you have a collapsed culvert, 18 months to two years for a review for a culvert replacement is unreasonable.”
We’ll have more from the roundtable throughout the week.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.