The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) asked Congress to pass legislation ordering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the controversial “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) proposal, reports Morning Ag Clips.
In a letter copied to all members of Congress, AFBF President Bob Stallman wrote that the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 represents an opportunity for Congress to take “the first important step toward resolving this issue fairly.” The bill was approved this week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.)
If the legislation does not pass and EPA moves forward with a final rule, the likeliest result would be landowners “being forced to engage in expensive litigation to protect their rights.”
“Our members overwhelmingly oppose this rule. It is a bad rule for farmers. There is no question about that. Anyone who alleges the opposite either misunderstands the rule or misunderstands farming,” Stallman wrote.