REVIEW THE IMPACT OF WETLANDS AND 

 NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION REGULA- 

 TIONS ON AGRICULTURAL LAND 



WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1994 



House of Representatives, 

 Subcommittee on Environment, Credit, 



AND Rural Development, 

 Committee on Agriculture, 



Washington, DC. 



The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in room 

 1300, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Tim Johnson (chair- 

 man of the subcommittee) presiding. 



Present: Representatives Long, Barlow, Pomeroy, Sarpalius, Pe- 

 terson, Baesler, Farr, Gunderson, Allard, Barrett, Nussle, Ewing, 

 and Smith of Michigan. 



Also present: Representative E (Kika) de la Garza, chairman of 

 the committee. 



Staff present: Vemie Hubert, chief counsel and legislative direc- 

 tor; John E. Hogan, minority counsel; Glenda L. Temple, clerk; 

 Anne Simmons, Alexandra Buell, and David Ebersole. 



OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. TIM JOHNSON, A REPRESENT- 

 ATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA 



Mr. Johnson. We will call the Subcommittee on Environment, 

 Credit, and Rural Development to order. 



Mr. Combest has indicated to the subcommittee that he will be 

 arriving somewhat late but to proceed in his absence, and in order 

 to expedite things we will do just that. 



I have called this hearing to review wetlands and nonpoint 

 source pollution legislation so that the Subcommittee on Environ- 

 ment, Credit, and Rural Development will have the opportunity to 

 hear from the administration, agricultural interest groups, aca- 

 demic research groups, and conservation organizations. This hear- 

 ing is critically important as legislation reauthorizing the Clean 

 Water Act begins to move through Congress. The input of the Com- 

 mittee on Agriculture and the agricultural community in general is 

 absolutely necessary in developing legislation which .regulates wet- 

 lands and nonpoint source pollution. 



The Clean Water Act is currently due for reauthorization and 

 comprehensive CWA reauthorizing legislation based on President 

 Clinton's Clean Water Initiative has been introduced in both the 

 House and the Senate. Although the House Agriculture Committee 

 did not receive a joint referral of the House bill, a number of Clean 



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