The following is a release from the office of Senator Cynthia Lummis – 

The last two years of the Biden administration have been marked by instance after instance of federal government overreach and overregulation. The administration’s approach to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS) is just one example of the federal government sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong.

This rule expands the definition of “navigable water” to include something as inconsequential as an irrigation ditch or a pond on a rancher’s land in Wyoming. That simply makes no sense.

Our farmers and ranchers in Wyoming do not need the federal government to tell them what they can and cannot do on their private land. An irrigation ditch is not navigable water and certainly should not be under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

This week, I joined a bipartisan group of senators in voting on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the WOTUS Rule. This measure passed by a vote of 53-43. I voted in favor of this CRA to protect Wyoming landowners from this clear overreach and to protect our water, one of our most valuable resources, without overbearing regulations from the federal government.

Unfortunately, President Biden has vowed to veto this legislation, which will create more red tape and hoops to jump through for producers and increase prices for consumers. I will keep working on solutions to this issue, and will continue fighting for Wyoming landowners and our agricultural industry.