Trump rolls back wetlands protections. What it means for California farmers, developers

The Sacramento Bee ^ | December 11th, 2018 | BY DALE KASLER AND KATE IRBY

[Mariner]

It all started when California farmer John Duarte plowed a wheat field in Tehama County, about two hours north of Sacramento, and wound up paying a $1.1 million fine to the federal government for his efforts.

On Tuesday, Duarte, who was embraced by conservatives nationwide as a victim of government over-reach, got vindication of sorts.

In a victory for farmers and land developers throughout the West, the Trump administration announced a broad rollback of rules designed to protect wetlands and other small bodies of water. The decision means regulations put in place in 2015 by the Obama administration will fall by the wayside.

Andrew Wheeler, acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the new rules will give property owners greater flexibility to manage their lands without having to worry about federal intervention.....

.....He said he blames Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for not pulling the plug on the government’s case. He said Sessions “stood by his swamp rats” instead of siding with agriculture.

[Mariner]

This alone is ample reason to deride Jeff Sessions, and hold in in the highest contempt.

[Leep]

What..Trump can tell California what to do?

[shelterguy]

But Sessions was able to bust several teenagers with a dozen joints so it evens out.

[Wonder Warthog]

"....the Trump administration announced a broad rollback of rules designed to protect wetlands and other small bodies of water."

Except that the definition of "wetland" has been expanded so out of shape that it applies to tracts of land without any standing water AT ALL, but merely has species of vegetation that grow in moist soils. IMO, a "wetland" has standing water more than six months of the year.

[DAC21]

Waiting for it....Ninth Circus in 3..2..1..

If it is an Obama regulation it is as good as an Constitutional Amendment to those Black Robe Marxist.

[Mariner]

The vernal pools of the CA Central Valley have standing water 2-3 months of the year.

Without farming/land development they are but dust the rest of the time.

[DAC21]

“If it is an Obama regulation it is as good as an Constitutional Amendment to those Black Robe Marxist”

Think DACA

[Reily]

DACA wasn’t legislation, wasn’t an executive order, it was a DHS Memorandum had no legal standing at all and somehow a court ruled on it!

[lee martell]

Thanks Mr. Trump.
There used to be a thriving Oyster fishing in West Marin.
It was shut down in 2014 by the National Park Service.
Drake’s Bay Oyster Company, a family run operation near Inverness, Ca. ordered closed because it was inside the Point Reyes National Seashore boundaries.

A reporter Summer Brennan wrote a book about it;
“Oyster War ‘The true story of a small farm, big politics and the future of wilderness in America”.
Most of us in Marin wanted to keep the place open.
I don’t even like oysters, but I liked the business they had set up. It was a pleasant place to visit after a long quiet drive along the coast. People were employed from time to time due to this place.

Hopefully, the president’s decision today will prevent incidents like this one from happening as much as before.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Serious question...does John Duarte get a refund?

[Mariner]

No. It was a settlement wherein he admitted guilt.

But he can plow that same piece of ground again.

[dhs12345]

A liberal judge somewhere, maybe in Hawaii or California, will disagree with you and they are a judge and you are not. Now kiss his or her ring.

Being sarcastic. :)

[Ben Ficklin]

As the article points out, Obama's rewrite of the rule was never implemented because of a court injunction. The problems with regulation of the waters of the US date back to when the Clean Water Act was passed.

Any and every thing EPA does has to be litigated so these changes that Trump has made will also be litigated.

[Da Coyote]

Coming from a mere journalist, I’m sure this article is packed with meaningful scientific facts and reaches a conclusion which will be measurable against some standard (we all know what journalists think about “standards”).

In summary, it’s your typical bull Obama.

[george76]

Sessions “stood by his swamp rats” instead of siding with agriculture.

UN Agenda 21 ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)

[Don Corleone]

The decision means regulations put in place in 2015 by the Obama administration will fall by the wayside.

M A G A!

[Lowell1775]

“Serious question...does John Duarte get a refund?”

A terrible agricultural accident is probably being arranged for him now since he has angered the green gods of the valley.

[Wonder Warthog]

"The problems with regulation of the waters of the US date back to when the Clean Water Act was passed."

No. The problems STARTED at that point. They have been exacerbated since then by agency redefinitions and regulations, especially since George H. W. Bush made his other infamous promise....."no net loss of wetlands".

[Texas Fossil]

MAGA Bump!

[libertylover]

the Trump administration announced a broad rollback of rules designed to protect wetlands and other small bodies of water as a step toward the goal of a totalitarian government ruled by Democrats.