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harvesters hard at work in fields

We ditched the rule!

September 12, 2019
E-Newsletters

Today was a long time coming. We finally ditched one of the worst government regulations in my lifetime—the Obama Administration's disastrous "Waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) rule.

Back in 2015, then-President Obama and his band of unelected bureaucrats at the EPA, finalized the WOTUS rule—trying to define farm ponds, streams, and ditches as "navigable waters" that could be used for interstate and international commerce. This outrageous government overreach would have given the EPA the authority to regulate more than 99 percent of Missouri farmland however they saw fit. Ultimately, it would have required landowners to seek permission from the EPA to do almost anything on their own land.

Opposition to the Obama Administration rule was loud and fierce. Farmers, small business owners, landowners, local communities, and many others spoke out loudly against the rule—in North Missouri and across the country. As a sixth-generation farmer, I strongly opposed the new rule from the start because I knew just how devastating it would be to rural America.

That's why I worked diligently to delay, block, and fight the onerous WOTUS rule. Today, I'm proud to say common sense finally prevailed. Earlier, I joined members of the Trump administration along with business and agriculture leaders to announce that the Obama WOTUS rule is no more. Like many in rural America, I am thrilled the Trump Administration listened to the people and kept its promise to ditch the rule.

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Representative Sam Graves Wotus repeal
Rep Graves speaks about repeal of Obama-era WOTUS rule

This doesn't mean folks are going to suddenly start polluting our streams, we're simply going back to the common-sense regulations that existed before the Obama EPA's unprecedented power grab. States, local communities, and hard-working Americans know better how to manage their land than a bunch of unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

We can have clean water AND a healthy rural economy. We don't need to sacrifice one for the other. Tonight, our farmers and landowners can sleep a bit more soundly knowing WOTUS has finally been laid to rest.

Sincerely,

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Signature of Congressman Sam Graves

Sam Graves