Leaked Memos May Help Agriculture Ditch Rule

Leaked Memos May Help Agriculture Ditch Rule

Colin Woodall
Colin Woodall

A series of internal Army Corps of Engineers memos were made public last week revealing mismanagement at the Corps and the EPA. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association  Legislative Affairs Director Colin Woodall says the documents show even those within the government say the rule is flawed, “We have memos that show many people within the Corps of Engineers and the EPA feel the data is flawed and that the EPA misinterpreted the date provided by the corps.” He added that some of the memos suggested the Corps distance itself from the rule.

 

Woodall says the release of the memos will be used in the lawsuit that has been filed by a variety of ag organizations to stop the implementation of the WOTUS rule, “We will use this in our lawsuit, and Congress will use these in their pushback. It is the best smoking gun we have ever had in this whole process.” The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released more than 50 pages of documents in which the Army Corps of Engineers repeatedly rebuked EPA officials for their abuse of the rulemaking process in producing the deeply controversial Waters of the United States rule.

 

Woodall says the memos also reveal the real agenda of the Obama administration, “Most of the memos are from  2014 and 2015, but it is clear this process goes further back.” He said EPA director Gina McCarthy picked up on the idea which was started by Lisa Jackson and represents the approach the EPA has taken during the entire Obama administration. The Army Corps memos clearly show political appointees repeatedly ignored vigorous objections of career agency staff in order to rush the rule through.

 

Read the memos:

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Army-Corps-Memoranda.zip.

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