NEW RULE FOR WATER SUPPLY BY TRUMP

Trump just put the states in control of their own water supply rules.  He directed the Corps to immediately back off from the federal government's involvement in the regulation of states' water supplies.  SEE COPY OF NEWS RELEASE BELOW

Report: Trump moves to roll back Obama-era water supply policy

January 20, 2020

This weekend, President Donald Trump announced plans to limit the federal government’s involvement in the regulation of states’ water supplies by rolling back a rule that, according to The Hill, was “proposed in the final days of the Obama administration.”

Former President Barack Obama had proposed changes to the so-called Water Supply Act in 2016, The Hill reported. But appearing at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 101st annual convention in Austin, Texas on Sunday, Trump said his administration wouldn’t be moving forward with those revisions, according to local ABC affiliate KVUE.

“I am directing the Corps of Engineers to immediately withdraw the proposed rule…and allow states to manage their water resources based on their own needs and based on what their farmers and ranchers want,” Trump told a reportedly cheering crowd.

He went on: “Water is the lifeblood of agriculture and we will always protect your water supply.”

Answer to Augusta Lock and Dam and drought Control is the same

I feel like the little boy who cried wolf.  No matter how hard I try to get our congressmen to understand they simply don't want to listen.  Right now they are threatening to sue the Corps over the Augusta lock and dam problem.  Previously they tried repeatedly to get the Corps to be more responsive on drought control.  Neither has worked and neither will work until Congress adds economics of real estate and business ventures around the lakes and basin at Augusta to the Corps responsibilities. Regardless how hard you argue the Corps has an irrefutable argument.  "That is not one of their responsibilities".  They will then quote the list of things they are responsible for which has been established by congress. As long as they live up to what Congress has specified they are untouchable in the courts or elsewhere.

We have tried talking to each of our congressmen but they see us as a gnat in the wind compared to the corps which they see as the elephant in the room.  We even had Jodi Hice look at this but the Georgia State chamber of congress convinced him not to pursue because in their mind any change might harm the harbor at Savannah.  What we could not get him to realize is adding economics to the corps responsibilities does not lessen their other responsibilities which give full protection to the harbor.  ADDING ECONOMICS WOULD TOTALLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CORPS WOULD THEN BE OBLIGATED TO RESPECT THAT ALONG WITH THEIR OTHER 8 RESPONSIBILITIES SUCH AS FLOOD CONTROL, FISH AND WILDLIFE, ETC. ETC.

The purpose of this writing is to try one more time to get our congressmen to understand how simple it would be to finally solve this problem. I've even tried getting help from radio and TV (eg Austin Rhodes, channel 6 news) but again they assume we don't know what we're talking about.  What they fail to realize is we've been right 100% of the time on how to better the drought controls.  We recommended 3600cfs anytime the lakes drop below full pool over 10 years ago.  It took $2 million and several years for the Corps to come to the same conclusion.  We are not offering pie in the sky solutions.  We are offering sound engineering and economic answers to the question of how best to manage the Savannah River Basin.