The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule brought back into play by the Biden Administration in November of 2021 is a huge set of murky and difficult to understand regulations that do not make sense to the average American farmer, and they sure don’t make sense to me!
I have sent letters and emails, and I have made personal phone calls to my representative and senator to oppose WOTUS as it was drafted because it gives the federal government the authority to regulate low places in my pastures, small drainage ditches and any other water that flows over my property when it rains. This is not well-defined to me and it leaves much room for interpretation. It also gives the federal government way more authority than it needs.
Farm Bureau and other advocacy groups fought against WOTUS in a campaign called “Ditch the Rule,” and they helped pass the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) which is a common-sense approach to waterway regulation, instead of the overreach of regulating a low spot in one of my pastures. Now, we are back to battling this same issue with the repeal of NWPR in the “step one” phase and replacing it with more murky regulations.
As a farmer in East Tennessee, I work to keep waterways in my neck of the woods clean and free of agricultural runoff. All I ask for is easy-to-understand rules that clearly define what it is the federal government is regulating, and I believe the current rule provides that for us.
After the “step one rule” is passed, there will be a “step two rule” that broadens the WOTUS definition even further, allowing for more government overreach. This would not be good for anyone who owns private land, but it definitely would not be good for anyone involved in agriculture because the rule could greatly impact everyday activities such as tillage, fence building and even livestock movement.
The federal government’s overreach cannot continue, and I will stand and fight for my rights as a private property owner and farmer in Tennessee. In light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear the high-profile Clean Water Act case, Sackett v. EPA, I join Farm Bureau in calling for the agencies to halt the work they are doing on the proposed WOTUS rule until the Supreme Court has handed down an opinion in this case.
Written by: Josey Miller, Loudon County
About Josey: High school agriculture educator and FFA advisor, Josey farms a cow/calf operation with her husband in the Dixie Lee Junction community of Loudon County.
