Rep. Mann Applauds WOTUS Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of the Army's proposed rule to clarify the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Rep. Mann released the following statement after the announcement. 

“America’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers always have been and always will be the original conservationists of the land,” said Rep. Mann. "While Washington bureaucrats would love to regulate every pond, ditch, and puddle from east to west, the Trump Administration's proposed WOTUS rule is a return to common sense. When government shrinks, freedom expands. This clear definition is a win for Kansas agriculture and private landowners and will restore certainty where it is long overdue."

Upon publication in the Federal Register, the proposed rule will be open for a 45-day public comment period. 

Earlier this year, Rep. Mann commended the Trump Administration for their decision to revise WOTUS in a clear, simplified direction. 

Rep. Mann has consistently fought against the abuse of the WOTUS rule. In December 2022, Rep. Mann blasted the Biden Administration’s definition of WOTUS that expanded water to include ponds and streams. In January 2023, Rep. Mann led efforts to pressure the Biden Administration to rescind their premature WOTUS rule ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. EPA. In March 2023, Rep. Mann voted to advance a Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden Administration’s rule. After President Biden vetoed the bill, Rep. Mann voted to override that veto and defend America’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers.

Following the Supreme Court’s May 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA, Rep. Mann applauded the Court’s unanimous decision to restrict EPA’s overreach. In August 2023, Rep. Mann fired back at the Biden Administration’s revised WOTUS rule that removed the “significant nexus” standard for determining whether wetlands or waters are covered by the Clean Water Act. Rep. Mann also introduced legislation to establish an advisory committee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine the impact of the WOTUS rule and overreaching regulations on agriculture production and the food supply chain.

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