State Sen. Evan Jenkins attended a town hall meeting June 25 sponsored by the West Virginia Farm Bureau to discuss the impact of proposed regulations by the EPA regarding the “Ditch Rule.” In March, the EPA issued a rule which would expand its authority under the Clean Water Act to any waters they define as navigable, including puddles, ponds and ditches, even on private lands and farms. Several dozen residents, including those in the logging and timber industry as well as farmers and homeowners, attended the meeting to discuss the impact such a rule would have on the community. West Virginia Farm Bureau President Charles Wilfong, Administrator Steve Butler, and Pocahontas County Farm Bureau Secretary Don McNeel were among those who shared their thoughts on the rule. Jenkins voiced his strong opposition to the rule and characterized it as another brazen overreach by the EPA. He vowed as a member of Congress to reign in this type of overregulation and applauded citizens for coming together and speaking out.
