On the recordFebruary 11, 2011
I rise in support of this bill and the examination of the rules and the regulations that create uncertainty and increased costs and disadvantage our businesses, farmers, and ranchers. My wife and I were small business owners for nearly 22 years. I know what it's like to sign the front of a payroll check and to deal with government rules and regulations. Here is a perfect example of what my farmers and ranchers face in Oregon. These are new rules that are coming out from the Environmental Protection Agency that are relying on what they even termed as a National Marine Fisheries Service document that was less than transparent. This affects new set-asides if you use modern chemicals at all to grow America's food and the world's food. These are new setback provisions that are being required in buffer zones that could, in some cases, be from 100 to 1,000 feet along any body of water, including intermittent streams. The practical effect, though, is that you could lose most of your farmland.
