GCSAA publishes specialized information on a frequent basis that drills down on top advocacy issues and activities.
The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers are moving forward with the repeal and rewrite of the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), and GCSAA continues to provide comments that urge the agencies to reconsider their efforts, given the effects this will have on golf course management.
On Jan. 12, Bob Helland, GCSAA director of congressional and federal affairs, spoke at a virtual public hearing on the first step: the proposed repeal of the NWPR. He reminded the agencies that Congress did not intend a “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to regulating water features under the Clean Water Act. States and other non-federal participants, like golf course superintendents, play an important role in water pollution control.
Unfortunately, the repeal of the NWPR is a step backward. Not only would it repeal a rule that respects the role golf plays, but it would also bring back the vague “significant nexus” standard for tributaries and wetlands that would result in unpredictable case-by-case determinations of federal jurisdiction. Clear rules would be replaced by uncertainty.
Expect GCSAA to continue to voice its opposition in written comments that will be filed with the agencies by Feb. 7 and continue with advocacy efforts with Congress so that elected officials know what is at stake.