Montana’s US Senators and Representatives are ready to protect MT Ag
Late last year the EPA made another ruling on the Waters of the United State, better known as WOTUS. This ruling was made in spite of pending litigation currently at the US Supreme Court. 560 KMON recently visited with all 4 of MT’s federally elected officials and here is what they had to say:
US Senator Jon Tester: I think there has to be a rule, but why they roll out in December absolutely doesn't make any sense, because as you probably know, Randy, this issue is in front of the Supreme Court. They're going to make a decision this summer that's going to be the law of the land, and that's what's going to be going on. But I can tell you this. Whether it's a rule coming out of EPA or whether it's a rule coming out of the Supreme Court, we've got to make sure the doggone thing will work for Montana, being an agricultural state. And if it doesn't, then we've got to work to try to fix that, whether it's through an act of Congress or telling the EPA, back off. So, look, there's some stuff in it that's okay. It does have exemptions for most bank practices, but the truth is, the devil is always in the detail. We need to make sure that those details are clear. But truth is, in the end, this ain't going to be the rule. It's going to be the rule that comes out of the Supreme Court. And then if that rule doesn't meet the needs of our great state, then we'll have to put some legislative action in to fix that. But hopefully it'll be fixed with the Supreme Court rule staying on.
US Senator Steve Daines: First of all, elections have consequences. We saw this in the Trump administration. We saw this overreach we call the Waters of the US. We saw that pushed back by the Trump administration. Now the Biden administration, democrats are in charge and here comes a big brother federal government wanting to dictate our way of life in Montana with more regulations. I'm rolling up my sleeves here to push back on this administration. The last thing our farmers and ranchers need in the midst of everything they're facing with high fertilizer costs, high fuel costs, weather conditions and so forth, is to be worrying about, can I get out there and fix a dry ditch without having to have another permit or the federal government finding me or stopping me? So this is bad for AG. It is our number one economic driver. We don't need more headwind right now in Montana AG. We need a little tailwind for a change. And so I will be vigorously fighting this to protect Montana from these out of touch rules that come from, frankly, DC. Bureaucrats that are sitting in their ivory tower offices in Washington have no idea what it means to try to make a living out in the arid country of Montana.
US House of Representative Matt Rosendale: (The EPA is) not only not listening to the producers, but not listening to the precedent that the Supreme Court has already sent out. I mean the Supreme Court listened to arguments about the EPA versus West Virginia, and the Supreme Court came out and said that the EPA had overstepped their bounds and was making decisions that Congress had not stipulated and they were out of their lane. I couldn't be at several of the Farm Bureau meetings and some other meetings that were taking place this week, but I released videos and let them know that this Waters of the US deal is a really big problem. And I assure you that I'm going to fight this like the third monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark and the rain is starting to fall. I mean, I am going to be fighting against this EPA. There's no agency that should be governing and regulating dry creek beds and mud puddles around the farms and ranches of the state of Montana.
US House of Representative Ryan Zinke: Waters of the US is one of the largest, most egregious overreaches by the federal government in recent history. Paper-pushing bureaucrats who only know Montana through the lens of a Kevin Costner show are attempting to enforce unconstitutional land grabs from people who have been stewards to our state since before its beginning. One of my main priorities sitting on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee is to use the power of the purse to defund the government’s ability to implement and enforce it until we get control of the White House and can rescind it.
Since this debate is far from over, continue to watch our website for updates. You can also read the story that was written that included comments from Montana’s 2 largest Ag Organizations, Montana Farm Bureau and Montana Farmers Union. Click here to read that story
If you have a story idea or something you want to learn more about, give Randy a call at 406-788-3003 or send me an email at randall.bogden@townsquaremedia.com
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