Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Mike Naig: Don't Reopen WOTUS Rules; Farmers and Ranchers Need Certainty

To read the original piece in the Quad City Times click HERE

Iowa farmers and ranchers deserve certainty and clarity to ensure they can continue to feed and fuel consumers here and around the world for generations to come. Unfortunately, we have seen the Biden administration create unnecessary uncertainty with their recent actions regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and their definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

Water is one of our most precious resources and farmers across Iowa are working to protect it. We hear constantly from farmers who are working collaboratively with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to voluntarily improve and maintain high-quality water by installing proven conservation practices that are backed by science. Our communities do not need more red tape and overregulation from the federal government.

Last year, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers made the unfortunate decision to rewrite the definition of WOTUS once again, which has been the subject of much back and forth during the previous decade. In fact, in 2015 federal courts blocked the Obama-Biden administration’s WOTUS rule due to clear federal overreach. It’s incredibly disappointing that bureaucrats in Washington are insisting on returning to this type of overreach.

The 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule provided clear definitions and offered farmers clarity when determining which bodies of water fall under federal jurisdiction. However, the Biden administration continues to let farmers down by insisting on reopening the rule. The 2015 rule put unnecessary hurdles in place that made it difficult to implement conservation practices and we expect this new rule to do the same.

Now yet again, we see Iowans left in limbo as the Supreme Court takes up a case regarding the definition of WOTUS and the administration continues to push for overreaching federal regulations. We should not have bureaucrats in D.C. offices making decisions without stepping foot in rural America, where their decisions are going to have an impact and potentially be harmful.

In another equally concerning move, the EPA took the unprecedented action in December to retroactively lower the Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the RFS. Biofuels and the RFS grow markets for farmers, create jobs in rural communities, and provide consumers with the choice to have cheaper and cleaner fuel at the pump.

By retroactively lowering the RVOs, this administration has gone back on its word to the Iowa biofuels industry. Biofuels are a clean and environmentally-friendly fuel that can be utilized now to help reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. Rather than utilizing homegrown renewable fuels to help lower prices at the pump and cut carbon emissions, this decision lowered the conventional blend level for 2020 by 2.5 billion gallons and leaves farmers, landowners, homebuilders, ranchers and businesses unsure if they can trust the EPA moving forward.

Instead of going back and reopening rules that have already been finalized, we should be focused on policies that provide much needed certainty for Iowans. These individuals work day in and day out to ensure our water remains clean and to offer clean and affordable fuel options. We must support them and ensure predictably for their futures.