Press Releases

DES MOINES, IA – Today, the Congressional Western Caucus hosted a roundtable at the Iowa Farm Bureau in Des Moines, IA, to discuss the importance of maintaining the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) to provide certainty for rural communities, businesses, and landowners who are working to promote clean water throughout the United States.
 
Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Western Caucus Members Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) and Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-06) participated in the roundtable alongside local and national leaders who are working to ensure economic development and growth while simultaneously protecting clean water for communities.  
 
"The regulations that are put forth in Washington, D.C. affect real Americans in rural communities across the country," said Chairman Newhouse. "Nowhere is that more clear than here in Iowa, where we heard from the agriculture industry, home builders, aggregate producers, and energy developers about how the Navigable Waters Protection Rule empowers them to continue their work to ensure rural America grows and prospers. States and local communities are committed to clean water, and overreaching federal regulations only hinder their conservation efforts. I am grateful for Rep. Miller-Meeks' leadership in ensuring the Biden Administration understands how devastating returning to the 2015 WOTUS rule would be for Iowans and rural Americans throughout the United States."
 
“I am thrilled to host this roundtable in beautiful Iowa. Being able to hear from community stakeholders who worked under the 2015 WOTUS rule is incredibly important to improving this policy and supporting our farmers and landowners. It was great to hear from all of our experts, and I look forward to working with them to create policies that are manageable for Iowans,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks.
 
“It’s critical to keep the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule in place.  This rule protects our water and provides certainty for farmers, business and land owners, and miners across Ohio, Iowa, and the entire country,” said Rep. Johnson. “We all want clean water; I have yet to meet anyone who feels differently. However, what we don’t need is the federal government and unelected bureaucrats having more power to regulate what is done with puddles and ditches on private land. Unfortunately, President Biden and the radical left look at this issue only through a political lens, and are aiming to bring back the much-maligned Obama-era ‘Waters of the United States‘ rule, which gives the federal bureaucracy power over local decision making – only this time making it’s more onerous. Rep. Miller-Meeks is a leader on this issue fighting to protect the common sense provisions already in place. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I was pleased to join her and other stakeholders today to discuss this vital issue.”
 
“Iowa farmers are great stewards of the land and they bring the same passion to protecting our waterways. The current Navigable Waters Protection Rule provides clear definitions and offers farmers certainty when determining which bodies of water fall under the rule. Unfortunately, under the previous Obama-Biden era WOTUS rule, unnecessary hurdles and bureaucratic red tape were put in place that made it difficult to implement successful conservation practices outlined by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy,” said Secretary Mike Naig, Iowa Department of Agriculture. “We must not go backwards on this. I would strongly encourage the EPA to preserve the 2020 WOTUS rule as much as possible so that Iowans have clarity and consistency moving forward.”
 
"Farmers are taking proactive, voluntary steps to protect water. Like all Americans, we rely on clean water for our livelihoods," said President Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation. "The EPA must respect farmers' and ranchers' ability to care for their land and continue normal farming practices without needing to hire a team of lawyers and consultants. Farmers and ranchers - and all Americans - need a steady definition of 'waters of the United States' that continues to bring clarity and certainty to clean water efforts."
 
“Iowa farmers have are committed to water quality efforts and preserving the land; however, they need clarity and certainty in rules to do that. Changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) would cause confusion and place unnecessary burdens on farm families by making it impossible to understand what farmers can and cannot do on their land.  Iowa Farm Bureau appreciates the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders to seek clarity and finality.” - Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
 
“The Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) is a perfect example of sound regulatory policy that ensures the aggregates industry can deliver the raw materials necessary for our nation to build back better. Aggregate producers prioritize environmental sustainability and stewardship to the highest level,” said Michele Stanley, National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association Vice President, Government & Regulatory Affairs. “The NWPR achieves this standard by incorporating clear definitions and consistent enforcement across the country, protecting our nation’s waterways and delivering clean water to all Americans. It is critical that we maintain the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, and reiterate the protections and clarity it provides to all stakeholders as it ensures an effective construction supply chain. We thank Chairman Newhouse and Western Caucus Members Rep. Miller-Meeks and Rep. Johnson for their leadership and attention on this issue.”
 
“The National Association of Home Builders is a strong proponent of the NWPR because it corrects the vast overreach of prior rules by excluding most man-made ditches and isolated ponds from federal jurisdiction, restores common sense to the regulatory process, reduces projects costs and safeguards America’s water resources,” said National Association of Home Builders Chairman Chuck Fowke. “If the administration repeals the NWPR and presses forward with a sweeping, expansive rule, housing affordability will suffer.”
 
The roundtable follows a day of field tours hosted by the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association and the National Association of Home Builders where the Members heard firsthand how returning to overburdensome federal regulations – like the Obama/Biden-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule – would impact local construction, energy development, and economic opportunity for rural communities in Iowa and across the country.
 
Tomorrow, the group will tour a farm in Colfax to learn how federal Clean Water Act regulations impact Iowa’s agriculture industry. Additionally, they will join U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to learn how current conservation, recreation, and flood control efforts are affected by regulations like the NWPR.
 
Background:
 
On April 14, 2021, Rep. Miller-Meeks introduced legislation expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that clean water is a national priority and that the NWPR should be maintained. The legislation was introduced with the support of 114 Members of Congress. Chairman Newhouse and Rep. Miller-Meeks penned this op-ed for the Des Moines Register: Rural America is dedicated to clean water.
 
When the Biden Administration announced their intention to revise and remand the NWPR, Chairman Newhouse, Rep. Miller-Meeks, Senator Steve Daines (MT), and Senator Joni Ernst (IA) led Western Caucus Members in a bicameral letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime Pinkham to express their serious concerns and demand answers about the Administration’s plans to reopen the definition of “waters of the United States.” Click here to read the letter and learn more.