September 12, 2012

The Problem: Washington, D.C. is out of touch and too often, farmers and small businesses in Virginia's 5th District are negatively impacted by federal regulations which lack commonsense. Recognizing the need for change, Robert has traveled all across the district, meeting regularly with farmers and small business owners so he can bring their concerns to Washington and introduce commonsense policies that will make it easier for our farmers and small businesses to succeed. Part of helping 5th District Virginians succeed is removing the federal government as a roadblock to job creation so our farmers and small businesses can hire and grow. In this case, unelected bureaucrats at the EPA and the Corps of Engineers cost 5th District farmers years of lost production and tens of thousands of dollars to build a farm pond on their private property to irrigate their crops -- a normal farming activity that is already permitted under current law. In rural America, our famers know that the lost money and time spent as they work through burdensome red tape means fewer jobs in our local communities and less food on the table. While this is just one example of federal over-reach can negatively impact our small businesses and farms in Central and Southside Virginia, it is an indication of the bigger picture of how the federal government is strangling our economy throughout the 5th District and the country. There are no greater stewards of the land than our farmers -- their livelihood depends on the land. It is time that Washington, D.C. put an end to the ways of big government over-reach, and let our famers and small businesses do what they do best -- stimulate our economy and create the jobs that America needs. The Solution: Many of Robert's bills have come straight from concerns brought to him by constituents. The Preserving Rural Resources Act is no exception. This legislation clarifies exemptions in current law so that normal farming activities such as building a farm pond for crop irrigation, which are already protected under the Clean Water Act, are in fact permitted as the law was written. This legislation will ensure that unelected bureaucrats are not misinterpreting the law and harming our family famers and their ability to create the jobs our communities need and to expand their farms.