Sen. Marshall Opposes Repeal of Navigable Waters Protection Rule

(Washington, D.C., November 19, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement vehemently opposed to the Biden Administration’s repeal of the Navigable Waters Protection rule.

“From day one this Administration has been working against our nation’s farmers and ranchers. There is a clear disconnect between D.C. bureaucrats and those who work the land day in and day out,” said Senator Marshall. “Playing political ping-pong with rules and regulations by changing them at the whim of political pressure threatens the livelihood of our hard working farmers and ranchers who are dedicated to leaving the world better than they found it.”

Background:

In 2015, the Obama Administration finalized a rule that expanded the definition of the Waters of the United States—giving the federal government authority to regulate water on much of the land in Kansas—and creating confusion and burdensome red tape for Kansas’ agriculture industry and many others.

The Trump Administration released a proposed rule to replace the Obama Administration’s 2015 WOTUS rule with a new rule that provided much-needed predictability and certainty for farmers by establishing clear and reasonable definitions of what qualifies as a “water of the United States.” The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule was finalized last year.

On day one of his administration, President Biden signed an executive order that would roll back the Trump Administration’s executive order which began the process of rescinding Obama’s WOTUS rule.

In January, Senator Marshall joined his colleagues in leading an effort on a Senate resolution that expresses the need for the U.S. Senate to stand with workers, farmers, manufacturers, and businesses by upholding the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule, which replaced the Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. 

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