Farmers, Ranchers Continue To Call For Congressional Action On WOTUS

After failing to secure the 60 votes needed to advance to a full debate on the Federal Water Quality Protection Act (S. 1140), which would put in check the EPA and its attempt to broaden the definition of Waters of the U.S., the Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution to disapprove of the WOTUS rule. The resolution now goes to the House for a vote, but the White House has already issued a veto threat to all efforts to roll the rule back.

 

Still, with the majority lawmakers in both the House and Senate on the record in opposition to this rule, farmers and ranchers continue to push for Congress to force EPA to scrap the regulation and start over.

 

In postcards, emails and phone calls, Farm Bureau members are urging leaders in both the Senate and the House to halt the rule by withholding funding for its implementation and passing the Federal Water Quality Protection Act.

 

EPA's controversial WOTUS rule gives federal agencies new powers to regulate many normal farming, ranching and business activities, making it the largest federal overreach in memory. The rule went into effect in August, but in early October the  Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ordered the EPA to stop enforcement nationwide of the rule. The decision expands a stay that a North Dakota judge imposed the day before the rule took effect, and that only applied to 13 states.