Letters to the Editor

RE: Proposed Waters of the U.S. rule change

As a land owner, I deeply resent this obvious attempt at running a back-door assault on the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. Land/property ownership, recognized and guaranteed by federal, state and local law, has been a hallmark by which this country has prospered and advanced.

Regulations like this, which undermine that basic guarantee, should never be allowed to stand. By regulating things that "know no legal boundaries" -- such as regulations on wildlife, air and water -- it's obvious our government and its bureaucrats are seeking to tie the property owners' hands in such a way so as to render his legal rights of ownership null and void.

So I vehemently oppose this EPA tactic of dropping the word "navigable" from already excessively overbearing Clean Water Act rules. If, as the EPA Secretary willingly claims, the dropping of the word "navigable" won't change a single thing, then leave the word in!!

Dick House

Arthur, Ill.

(CZ)