DES MOINES – On Thursday, Governor Kim Reynolds released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s finalized Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:
“Iowa farmers, families, and property owners will benefit substantially from the redefined ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) rule. This new rule provides clarity, predictability, and consistency while also balancing environmental protections with the rights and interests of states like ours.
“Under the Obama administration, Iowa suffered from uncertainty, excessive regulation and federal overreach. Those days are gone.
“I appreciate President Trump and his administration for fulfilling another promise made by taking the necessary steps to rewrite WOTUS.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue also praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for defining the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule:
“President Trump is restoring the rule of law and empowering Americans by removing undue burdens and strangling regulations from the backs of our productive farmers, ranchers, and rural land-owners. The days are gone when the Federal Government can claim a small farm pond on private land as navigable waters,” Secretary Perdue said. “I thank President Trump and Administrator Wheeler for having the backs of our farmers, ranchers, and producers and for continuing to roll back Federal overreach. With reforms and deregulation, Americans once again have the freedom to innovate, create, and grow.”
Background:
On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) fulfilled yet another promise of President Trump by finalizing the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). For the first time, the agencies are streamlining the definition so that it includes four simple categories of jurisdictional waters, provides clear exclusions for many water features that traditionally have not been regulated, and defines terms in the regulatory text that have never been defined before. Congress, in the Clean Water Act, explicitly directed the Agencies to protect “navigable waters.” The Navigable Waters Protection Rule regulates these waters and the core tributary systems that provide perennial or intermittent flow into them. The final rule fulfills Executive Order 13788 and reflects legal precedent set by key Supreme Court cases as well as robust public outreach and engagement, including pre-proposal input and comments received on the proposed rule.
The Navigable Waters Protection Rule protects the environment while respecting states, localities, tribes, and private property owners. It clearly delineates where federal regulations apply and gives state and local authorities more flexibility to determine how best to manage waters within their borders. Assertions have been made that the new rule will reduce jurisdiction over thousands of stream miles and millions of acres of wetlands. These assertions are incorrect because they are based on data that is too inaccurate and speculative to be meaningful for regulatory purposes. The final rule along with state, local, and tribal regulations and programs provide a network of protective coverage for the nation’s water resources.
To learn more about EPA’s WOTUS Rule, click here
*People from California understand these ridiculous rules. Basically the feds control every puddle of water on your land. People want to cry gloom and doom. I remember well pollution in the 60s and 70s. Today is nothing like then, not even remotely close. Quit trying to spread the false narrative that we are destroying the environment!
*Federal government most definitely does not need to micro manage 97% of Iowa’s lands. The restrictions imposed were too strict. This does not mean that the state can’t impose certain restrictions to help protect the streams and rivers but this is certainly a step in the right direction!! We don’t need big government to regulate everything. It got out of hand under Obama!!
*Giving the government authority to regulate 97% of the land in Iowa IS GOVERNMENT OVERREACH AND BAD FOR IOWA FARMERS. Do you people even read the articles or just the headlines? Educate yourselves by looking a little deeper before you speak.