I am encouraged to see that the state Water Resources Control Board may finally be taking into consideration the effect the proposed regulations for septic tanks will have on rural California. The written public comment period has been extended until Feb. 23 because of the strong dissent the board has received thus far from concerned homeowners and businesses.

As currently written, the proposed regulations apply uniformly throughout the state, with no consideration for California's diverse geographical, hydrogeological and demographic characteristics. This inflexible approach will cost Californians an estimated $1.4 billion, with much of the burden placed upon homeowners and businesses in rural counties.

Last week, Assemblymember Ted Gaines and I sent a bipartisan letter to the SWRCB strongly encouraging the board to listen to the concerns of rural California and develop septic standards, adaptive to different regions, that allow for minimal impact and cost on rural homeowners and businesses. The SWRCB has the opportunity to do just that, and I am hopeful it will make the right decision. If not, I am already in contact with a bipartisan group of rural legislators and we will be exploring a variety of possible legislative solutions to ensure that rural Californians are not disproportionately impacted by these regulations.