WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-05), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, released this statement following the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to withdraw the proposed directive on groundwater management:
“From the beginning, policy makers from both political parties have questioned the Forest Service’s presumed legal authority to regulate groundwater, as they were proposing. It was clear the proposed directive infringed upon states’ rights and would supersede the longstanding precedent of state management.
“I am pleased the Forest Service has listened to these concerns, which were outlined during oversight hearings by the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee on Agriculture. I applaud the Forest Service for finally putting an end to this proposal.”
On June 24, 2014, Thompson joined 42 other lawmakers, voicing opposition to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack’s warning that the Forest Service’s proposed directive would have restricted access to public lands and interfered with state and private water rights.
Further, on Sept. 10, 2014, Thompson’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee held a hearing to provide oversight to the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed directive. The hearing featured Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell as the first testifying witness.
This week, U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Leslie Weldon announced the agency’s decision to pull the directive during testimony delivered before the House Committee on Natural Resources.