By Eric Stock
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, R-Ill., isn’t ready to throw his full support behind the Iran nuclear deal just yet.
Durbin said international pressure on Iran has been working, economic sanctions have put the squeeze on Tehran, but he told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin he needs to be certain that international inspectors will gain access to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“I want to make sure (international) inspectors have access and we have ways of policing what’s going on in Iran,” Durbin said. “I just don’t trust them. That’s what I am going through line-by-line at this point.”
PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Durbin on WJBC.
The agreement gives Iran relief from those economic sanctions.
Durbin said he’s disappointed the agreement won’t lead to regime change in Iran or the release of four American prisoners there, but he said he backs the objective of stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Clean water rules
Durbin met with Illinois corn and soybeans farmers on Wednesday regarding proposed federal rules that would expand the number of rivers, streams and other waterways that are protected and regulated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act.
“(They) are concerned and rightly so, the EPA is going to go too far and if I have a puddle in the middle of my farm, the EPA is going to come in and put a fence around it. That’s crazy. So how do we find the right balance here,” Durbin said.
Durbin said the EPA must balance the needs of farmers with ensuring their chemicals don’t end up in our drinking water.
The rule is set to take effect on Aug. 28, but there’s an effort in Congress to block it. Critics of the plan say it would add costly and burdensome regulations.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
