Yesterday, The United States District Court for the District of North Dakota granted a preliminary injunction, stopping the Biden Administration?s new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule for Iowa and 23 other states.
In its decision, the court cited terminology in the Clean Water Act which clearly states that its jurisdiction is only over waters that cross a state boundary line or form a state?s boundary. It also said that the ongoing changes to the legislation are not leaving any clear-cut guidelines or definitions. Therefore it is granting the injunction to the 24 states filing suit.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird talked with us about the situation.
So, what does this all mean for Iowa farmers in the immediate future? AG Bird gives us an explanation.
AG Bird says she expects that there will be pushback from EPA, but for right now, there is time to settle this.
Bird says that this fight is not about protecting the environment as the EPA claims. It is about who has rights over private property, and figuring out when dirt or a mud puddle became a shipping corridor.
You can read the court?s decision here.
