The agency extended the comment period, which was set to end July 21, after agricultural groups and producers demanded more time to review the proposed rules and their potential impact on water users.

The proposal would redefine U.S. waters to include several types of water not currently listed under U.S. laws, including ponds, ditches, floodplains, streams and winter runoff.

EPA officials and supporters of the law say it would add greater clarity to the law based on confusion seen in existing regulations and jurisdictional questions under the CWA.

Opponents of the plan, including members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, say the measure expands federal power over waters specifically left out of current laws.

“It will dramatically expand the reach of the federal government,” said Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Penn., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, according to a report in The Hill.

“The American Farm Bureau Federation is pleased the EPA has extended the time available to comment on new and highly burdensome clean water rules,” the AFBF said in a statement. “This is a victory for farming families and a clear signal that America’s farmers know how to stand up and be counted.

“The EPA has misled the regulated community about the rule’s impacts on land use. If more people knew how regulators want to require permits for common activities on dry land, or penalize landowners for not getting them, they would be outraged.” 
From combined sources