Statement by Mark McHargue, President, regarding EPA’s New Waters of the U.S. Rule
LINCOLN, NEB. – “Despite rebuke from the Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has clearly not learned their lesson about making proper regulations. Time and again, the Biden EPA has had an opportunity to develop a Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that not only protects water, but also respects private property rights and the rights of states to protect the waters found within their own borders. Unfortunately, despite Farm Bureau being willing to work with the EPA on crafting the rule, the EPA did not ask for input before releasing it and have again failed to deliver.”
“The ‘new rule’ does little more than cut out the significant nexus test that the Supreme Court explicitly invalidated. It blatantly ignores both the concerns shown by the justices and those voiced by stakeholders. For nearly a decade, Nebraska Farm Bureau, along with organizations that represent farmers, ranchers, businesses, home builders, golf courses, and everything in between, have worked to ensure any changes to federal WOTUS rules were workable, understandable, and limited the reach of the federal regulatory agencies. We again call on EPA to go back to the proverbial table to draft a new rule that both protects historically regulated water, and allows farmers to farm, ranchers to ranch, and businesses to operate without fear of federal regulators.”
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 51,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.
