Lankford: Obama Power Grab Doesn’t Hold Water
Lankford: Power grab doesn’t hold water
By: James Lankford
Our administration never ceases to amaze me. Power grabs seem to be the new norm.
The latest installment of federal overreach can be found right in your backyard. Ever heard the “term navigable waters”? Ever think you could have such a waterway on your property in the middle of the suburbs? A topic that would traditionally be discussed in communities near waterways could stretch to the majority of Oklahomans and Americans even during a historic drought.
Obama and his administration are redefining the term “navigable water.” Initially shot down in the court system, the second attempt is in motion, with the new definition as any water location that could get to a navigable water – a change that will redefine when and where a Clean Water Act permit is required. The result would be sweeping implications for everyone building on, developing or farming land.
In a way previously unconsidered by any administration, this alters all land use and local zoning laws. The rule would seem to include things like ditches, ephemeral drainages, ponds, prairie potholes, seeps, flood plains, and other occasionally wet areas, removing the need for the water to indeed be “navigable.”