Sorry... just had to get that off my chest. FJB and his crew have so many ways of irritating the shit out of me.
I am tempted to think it is some sort of comms at this point. EPA guy used it in OH just now... out of an abundance of caution, stay out of the streams, or something like that.
Anyway, dumbest phrase... evah
At the very least they need to state, "I don't know" or "I don't have the authority to answer that" or some preface before a referral is made.