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Sen. Moran Joins Colleagues in Urging President Biden to Keep Trump Administration WOTUS Rule

Commonsense rule provides certainty for farmers and ranchers

WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined a group of Senators in introducing a resolution to express support for the Navigable Waters Protection Rule – the Trump administration’s replacement for the Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

“Repealing the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule will reinstate burdensome regulations on Kansas farmers, ranchers and small businesses,” said Sen. Moran. “This commonsense rule promotes clean water for our communities and families, while respecting private property rights and providing certainty for landowners. We’ve already seen the damage and confusion caused by the Obama-era WOTUS rule, and returning to that standard is unacceptable.”

In 2015, the Obama administration finalized a rule that expanded the definition of the Waters of the United States, creating confusion and burdensome red tape for the agriculture industry and many others. Sen. Moran cosponsored legislation in September 2015 that would have nullified the Obama administration’s rule. After passing both the House and Senate—with bipartisan support—the bill was vetoed by President Obama.

The Trump administration proposed a new rule to replace the Obama administration’s 2015 WOTUS 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.

This week, President Biden signed an executive order that would roll back the Trump administration’s executive order which originally began the process of rescinding Obama’s WOTUS rule.

Sen. Moran joined 25 of his colleagues on this resolution, including Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), James Risch (R-Idaho), John Barasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

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