House Republicans clashed with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials Wednesday over the agency's controversial plan to regulate small bodies of water, which the GOP says could hurt American farmers.
Repubilcans fear the EPA's proposed Waters of the U.S. rule would expand the agency's authority to include small rivers, streams and ponds around the country, which they say could hurt farmers whose lands are strategically surrounded by water.
"I own a farm, I have a few ponds, the last place I would put a farm is where there is no water," Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said during a House Science Committee hearing.
Many farmers have expressed concerns that they will be regulated under the new rule even if they just have a small puddle or a ditch that fills up with water when it rains in their backyard, Massie said.
"I think [the farm] would have to be under a roof, really, to be completely dry," he said.
