Western governors told Congress on Wednesday that the relationship between the federal government and their states is “out of balance.”
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he is concerned about federal overreach in his state and feels as if the federal government has strayed from its constitutional duties as more and more is demanded from Washington.
“The nation has strayed from that constitutional principle of federalism and shared responsibilities,” the Republican said. “From my perch as a governor, it’s clear that the current state of relationships is out of balance.
“We should not be treated as we are somehow junior partners to the federal government.”
Herbert made his comments in front of the House Natural Resources Committee. Joining him were the governors of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said the hearing was a chance for the governors to voice the frustrations of many citizens in western states who feel the federal government owns too much land and makes too many regulations.
“When the federal government comes up with a one-size-fits-all approach, that simply does not meet the needs [of those states],” he said.
Among the complaints from the four governors were the lack of true collaboration between federal regulators and the states, the failures of the Endangered Species Act and the Environmental Protect Agency’s various clean energy plans.
Some of the governors expressed concern that environmental groups in Washington have much more say in regulations than state governments.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, said the Clean Power Plan is an example of a regulation that imposes restrictions on states that blindside western officials.
“I have expressed frustration about the final rule and how different it is from the proposed rule,” he said. “… I’m sure there’s going to be litigation on this rule, but I would much rather, whatever happens for the state of Montana, it be decided on the ground and not by those in Washington, D.C.”
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said proposed ozone rules, set to be released Thursday, don’t take into consideration the real-life situation in many states.
He said areas such as Badlands National Park, one of the most isolated national parks in the country, will no longer be compliant under ozone regulations if the new rules are strengthened to rumored levels. There are no ozone emitters near the park and it’s not clear how the state could reduce ozone in that area, he said.
“The EPA, in some instances, seems to propose rules that really have no sense in application,” he said.
The disconnect between federal and state officials also affects the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, the governors said.
Gov. Matt Mead, of Wyoming, pointed out that the U.S. has more than 1,500 species on the Endangered Species List, compared with 653 in the rest of the world. Since 1973, just 30 species have been taken off the list due to recovery.
However, many more should be taken off because they have recovered but federal officials haven’t noticed, Mead said. That harms businesses, residents and other species, he said.
“The states should be consulted before listing and the data from the states should be used,” he said.
“It’s hurtful to species because we’re wasting time on species that have long since proved they’ve recovered instead of working on species that actually need help.”
