Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins issued the following statement today regarding the 2022 WOTUS rule:
Missouri Farm Bureau (MOFB) is extremely disappointed that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers chose to disregard the input of farmers and ranchers in moving forward with a new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule on Dec. 30, 2022. We are still examining the rule’s full extent, but it is clear that the new WOTUS rule will create a tremendous amount of confusion and uncertainty for farmers and ranchers.
As MOFB has said many times before, farmers and ranchers had bright lines of Clean Water Act jurisdiction under the previous Navigable Waters Protection Rule. Now, the Biden Administration has decided to replace that clarity with the murkiness of significant nexus tests and other onerous provisions that will take several weeks or months and teams of attorneys and consultants to attempt to comply with the new rule. Even more bothersome is the Administration’s issuance of this rule as we await a decision in the Sackett v. EPA Clean Water Act case at the United States Supreme Court. MOFB and many other agricultural, construction, and real estate industry groups, in addition to over 200 members of Congress had asked the agencies to refrain from further action until a SCOTUS decision.
Missouri farmers and ranchers want clean water and clear rules. The Administration clearly wants more power and more uncertainty for those of us who work the land and feed the world.
Missouri Farm Bureau is Missouri’s largest and most effective farm organization with a presence in every county throughout the state. Follow @MissouriFarmBureau on Facebook, @MOFarmBureau on Twitter or @MOFarmBureau on Instagram.
