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Minnesota Farm Bureau says WOTUS injunction applies to all

Minnesota Farm Bureau believes the Clean Water Rule injunction filed in North Dakota counts for all 50 states.

President Kevin Paap points to ongoing lawsuits in other states.

“There are also lawsuits in West Virginia and Georgia.  But we’re going to continue to push not only with lawsuits, but also legislation.  We really feel the EPA violated their authority granted by Congress.  EPA failed to follow the Supreme Court’s precedent and EPA failed to comply with the Administrative Procedures Act.”

He tells Brownfield Minnesota is not as active in opposing the rule as the 30 states involved in lawsuits, but Farm Bureau has a strong opinion on it.

“We at Farm Bureau really feel that the Clean Water Act from way back in 1972 that states have the authority to regulate those intra-state (waters).  Certainly navigable waters need to be federally regulated.”

Paap says there is legislation passed in the House that would stop the rule and asks Minnesota landowners to contact Senators Klobuchar and Franken.

“Ask them to support Senate Bill 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, that will help take are of some of this uncertainty and legal risks for normal farming activities and land-use practices.”

He predicts a long, tedious process with the rule caught up in the courts and landowners dealing with uncertainty and risk.