Rep. Miller-Meeks introduces resolution to uphold Navigable Waters Protection Rule
DES MOINES, Iowa - (Iowa's News Now) — Iowa Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) wants the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which revised a 2015 Water of the United States Rule, to be upheld.
Tuesday she introduced a resolution she says would "express the sense of the House that clean water is a national priority and that the April 21st, 2020, NWPR should not be withdrawn or vacated."
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced a Senate version of this resolution in January.
The 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule significantly expanded the definition of WOTUS and gave the federal government authority to regulate almost any waters; including streams, ditches, ponds, and creeks. The NWPR revised the definition of WOTUS and reversed this overreach, bringing back a balance between federal and state jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.
“Under the WOTUS Rule, the federal government would have authority to regulate water on 97 percent of the land in Iowa. This left farmers, ranchers, landowners, and businesses to face confusion and burdensome restrictions on how to use their property,” Miller-Meeks says. “The NWPR is much more workable and keeps our water and land clean without destroying businesses in the process. I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect our environment while also supporting our farmers and ranchers.”
“When the Obama-Biden administration attempted to regulate nearly 97% of the land in Iowa with their WOTUS rule, I fought back and stood up for the livelihoods of hardworking Iowans. We won that fight; a new, more flexible WOTUS rule was put in place. Now, the Biden Administration is working at a rapid pace to undo this work,” says Senator Ernst, Republican Leader of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy. “I’m thrilled to see my fellow Iowan, Rep. Miller-Meeks, take up this fight in the House. Together, we’re pushing back on yet another attempted Washington power grab that would only make it harder for Iowans to farm, ranch, and build.”
Representative Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Chair of the Congressional Western Caucus, is backing Miller-Meeks resolution, along with California Representative Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, and Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney.
“I’m proud to support this resolution and would urge the Biden Administration to uphold the Navigable Waters Protection rule. Unlike the flawed, overreaching mandates put in place by the Obama Administration, this rule provides a clear and consistent definition of navigable waters while ensuring clean water,” House Republican Conference Chair Cheney says. “Withdrawing this rule and returning to the broken days of WOTUS would represent a blatant, unconstitutional power grab aimed at taking federal control over states in a way that threatens the rights of farmers, ranchers, and all other landowners in Wyoming.”
Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson also voiced her support on Twitter.
You can read the full legislation here.