Page 82 - MFB State Annual Meeting 2018 -- RESOLUTIONS BOOK

have continuous flow 365 days a year. We believe Congress should be responsible for defining Waters of the United States and urge them to pass legislation
doing so. The Act's framework should:
3.1.1. Maintain state primacy over local land and water decisions;
3.1.2. Maintain state authority to allocate quantities of water within its
jurisdiction and groundwater;
3.1.3. Promote a clear distinction between which waters are subject
to federal jurisdiction and which waters are subject to state
jurisdiction; and
3.1.4. Maintain existing statutory and regulatory exemptions for prior
converted croplands and waste treatment systems.
3.2. We support the concept of cleaning up our nation's water; however,
the goal of zero water pollution should be substantially modified. The current focus of the CWA should remain that of achieving fishable and swimmable standards. CWA and Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) regulations should not infringe on property rights, should not result in unfunded mandates for state and local governments and should be subject to cost/benefit and risk assessment analysis. Reauthorization of the federal CWA and CZMA should not alter federal or state water rights and water allocation systems and should encourage state control over these programs.
3.3. We believe the CWA and the CZMA should allow state flexibility to develop programs to protect water quality as long as they are no more restrictive than federal mandates. The authority for determining impaired waters, establishing standards and criteria, and developing and implementing appropriate response programs and plans should remain with the states with input from farmer representation. Funding should be expanded for research in new technologies and methods that will enable producers to achieve effective environmental stewardship.
3.4. The pursuit of pollution abatement should be only one of the many factors considered in the development of national water policies. Other factors, including the cost of pollution abatement, the needs of agriculture, the needs for growth and the presence of naturally occurring pollutants, must also be considered.
3.5. The federal government and its agencies should not require a NPDES permit for interbasin water transfers or require water treatment on interbasin transfers.
3.6. The CWA does not stand alone in protecting America's waters from pollution. Other ongoing programs at the federal, state, and local level combine to provide an effective foundation for water quality protection and must be funded fully, coordinated with and not superseded by the federal government.
3.7. The attainment of water quality standards established by federal action under the CWA should take into consideration the particular and difficult problems caused by naturally occurring pollutants. Solving these difficult problems should not come at the expense of the established users of water.
3.8. We support:
3.8.1. The reauthorization of section 117 of the CWA without
expansion of federal authority;
3.8.2. Efforts to establish, in rules, a definition and threshold for the
level of scientifically valid data necessary to accurately assign a water body's classification, and to determine a water body's quality as it relates to its ability to meet its assigned beneficial uses; Such definition should, at a minimum, include the following:
3.8.2.1. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards based on sound science and native baseline levels;
3.8.2.2. Data that includes, but is not limited to, the historical, geological and hydrological capability of a water body to meet beneficial uses; and
3.8.2.3. The chemical, physical and biological data collected under an approved sampling and analysis plan. This plan should, at a minimum, specify monitoring location, dates and quality control/quality assurance;
AFBF Policies – Page 26