Ernst Applauds Major WOTUS Reform

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) applauded the Trump administration’s announcement of major reforms to the “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule that she has led the fight to fix.

The proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undoes years of harmful government overreach, includes portions that mirror Ernst’s CLEAR Waters Act, and excludes covered water features that do not interact with navigable waters from being regulated under WOTUS.

“During my first year in the Senate, President Obama vetoed my bill to overturn the disastrous WOTUS rule that expanded government overreach to regulate even streams and puddles,” said Ernst. “I never stopped fighting for Iowans, and this marks a major step to unburdening farmers, landowners, and small businesses from regulatory red tape. It’s clear a water ditch is, in fact, not a navigable waterway, and now that common sense has finally prevailed, hardworking folks will have the clarity they need.”

Background:

After leading the fight against Obama’s WOTUS overreach for years, Ernst and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Zeldin recently announced a revision that adheres to the law, cuts red tape, and provides certainty for Iowans.

During her first year in the Senate, Senator Ernst led an effort against the harmful WOTUS rule to protect Iowans from burdensome regulations. Her effort was passed by both the Senate and the House, but President Obama vetoed it.

During Trump’s first term, Ernst commended his administration for successfully rolling back the harmful Obama-era WOTUS rule to help spur economic growth and called on Congress to codify a reasonable definition of WOTUS into law.

After Biden doubled down on Obama’s government overreach, Ernst supported a bipartisan effort, worked in 2023 to stop Biden’s out-of-touch WOTUS rule that aimed to repeal the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), and applauded the Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA.

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