Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says a return to the Obama-era Waters of the U.S. Rule would create a heavier burden on the shoulders of Iowa farmers and ranchers.
In a Zoom video interview with IARN Thursday afternoon, Senator Ernst addressed the EPA?s recent announcement that it is considering a rollback of the current Navigable Waters Protection Rule. She says a return to WOTUS would be a ?gut punch? to Iowa farmers.
?What I could foresee is that permitting processes would be slowed down,? said Ernst. ?Certainly, if a farmer is engaged in just daily activities ? maybe putting up a new fence row ? that could potentially fall under federal government jurisdiction. If they are disturbing the land and digging fence hole posts ? something so simple and common sense ? would then be regulated by the federal government.?
Fellow Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley commented on the issue this week by saying, ?Adding more federal red tape to a farmer?s day-to-day decisions on the farm is government overreach, plain and simple.? As the situation continues to unfold, Ernst says her message to Iowa farmers is to hold steady.
?There are many of us very active in this space in the state of Iowa,? said Ernst. ?Please be reaching out and sharing your stories with us. If you know of others in other states, have them reach out to their members of Congress. It is imperative that we speak with one voice in pushing back against the (Biden) Administration.?
In response to the EPA?s announcement, Ernst has introduced bipartisan legislation called the ?Prove It Act.?
?What we want to make sure is that our small businesses ? which many of our farmers and ranchers are small businesses ? is making sure they are not overburdened over impacted too heavily by these proposed rules or regulations,? said Ernst. ?We are asking that an independent agency do a study and then basically ?Prove It? that these small businesses won?t be impacted by a heavy-handed federal guideline or law.?
Ernst and Grassley have also introduced the ?Define WOTUS Act,? which is a bill to legislatively define the ?waters of the United States,? and make a reasonable, workable definition of the term permanent.
