WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last Friday, U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-WY, introduced a formal challenge to the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.
On Dec. 30, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the final “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States'” rule. On Jan. 18, the rule was published in the Federal Register and it will become effective on March 20.
The new rule repeals the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and changes the definition of Waters of the United States which expands the authority of the federal bureaucracy.
“The agencies’ final rule establishes a clear and reasonable definition of ‘waters of the United States’ and reduces the uncertainty from constantly changing regulatory definitions that have harmed communities and our nation’s waters,” said the EPA.
However, Barrasso, Lummis and their Republican counterparts view the rule as a “massive act of government overreach.”
“President Biden is using his misguided WOTUS rule to suffocate Wyoming’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners,” said Barrasso. “Our joint resolution puts hardworking Americans first and stops this massive government overreach from the Biden administration.”
Sen. Lummis echoed Barrasso’s sentiments noting that the Biden administration’s WOTUS rule would have “serious” implications in Wyoming and throughout the west.
“An irrigation ditch is not navigable water and should not be under the jurisdiction of the federal government,” Lummis said. “Our farmers and ranchers do not need the federal government telling them what they can and cannot do on their private land. We can protect our water, one of our most valuable resources, without overbearing regulations from the federal government.”
Every member of the Senate Republican Caucus and the Senate Western Caucus joined in cosponsoring this resolution of disapproval.
