Yesterday (Thursday), the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate American landowners via the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Under the previous definition, 97 percent of Iowa’s land would have been regulated under the latest interpretation of the 1972 Clean Water Act, which included navigable waterways and also any adjacent “wetlands. ” Iowa officials celebrated the law’s limitation, which had challenged the state’s ag industry for years. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “The decision better defines the regulatory scope of the federal government as it relates to America’s land and water. Curtailing this expensive and burdensome federal overreach gives Iowa farmers the confidence to continue using modern farming practices and will allow further acceleration of important conservation work across our state.” Sen. Chuck Grassley says, “If the EPA had its way, nearly 97 percent of land in Iowa would be subject to onerous federal red tape. You’d have to get permission from Uncle Sam before moving dirt on your own land under this administration’s WOTUS regulations. Farmers could’ve faced steep fines if water pooled in a ditch after a rainstorm because of the EPA’s far-reaching rules.” Sen. Joni Ernst issued a similar statement, saying farmers and 46,000 Iowa small businesses had struggled with the regulations. While the ruling comes as a relief to many in the state, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says, “I hope the EPA learned its lesson in Sackett v. EPA because we’re going to keep the fight going in our WOTUS lawsuit against the Biden rule to protect Iowa’s farmers, landowners, homebuilders, and producers.” A link to the Supreme Court’s full 82-page ruling is included below.
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