WOTUS

While a Waters of the United States Rule is in place, there may still be questions about the farm sector goes from here.   “We have a WOTUS rule in place. After a 2023 unanimous Supreme Court decision, the Biden administration had to kind of take their rule back to the drawing board and rewrite it to comply with this new WOTUS standard," said Mary-Thomas Hart chief counsel for the National Ca

The American Farm Bureau Federation is asking the EPA for changes to the Waters of the U.S. Rule.  David Schilling, AFBF public policy counsel, said the group wants the rule brought in line with the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court ruling.   “...

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced moves to begin to clarify the Waters of the U.S. rule .  Courtney Briggs, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this is good news for farm country.   “...

While much remains a mystery about the 119th Congress, most of farm country is looking forward to the future with optimism.  However, one area that still of concern, at least for the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Environmental space; more specifically the EPA.  Courtne...

The American Farm Bureau, as lead for a multi-industry coalition, is accusing the Biden EPA and Army Corps of secretly violating the Supreme Court’s Waters of the U.S. ruling in Sackett vs. the EPA.  The AFBF’s Courtney Briggs chairs the Waters Advocacy Coalition of 45 industry trade associations and recently told a House panel that the EPA and Army Corps are end-running the Supreme Court with mem

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army (the agencies) issued a final rule to amend the final “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’” rule.

A Congressional Review Act, or CRA, put forward by both Idaho senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, cleared the Senate Thursday, challenging the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule, which grossly expands federal regulatory authority over water.   “...

Last week, EPA Administrator Michael Regan defended his agency’s issuing its final WOTUS rule in December, ahead of what could be a watershed Supreme Court WOTUS ruling later this year.  Regan was pressed by Republican senators at an Environment and Public Works hearing on why EPA jumped ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling expected by June in Sackett vs. EPA, a case many bel...

The Biden administration's version of the Waters of the U.S. rule went into effect Monday, but not for everyone.  Over the weekend, a Texas federal judge put the updated WOTUS on hold in Idaho as well as the Lone Star State.  The Court’s order Sunday granted a preliminary injunction halting the Biden WOTUS rules only for Idaho and Texas, who co-led a lawsuit.  The suits argued that E...

The U.S. House voted last week to repeal, on a largely symbolic 227-198 vote, the EPA’s controversial WOTUS rule.  The Senate could follow suit as soon as this week.  Democrats argued clean water is a human right that will suffer with the GOP’s move.  However nine Democrats, inclu...