Ernst, Grassley Press Vilsack on Biden’s Actions on WOTUS, RFS

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are pressing their fellow Iowan, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on recent actions by the Biden Administration that have the potential to harm Iowa’s agriculture industry. In a letter, Ernst and Grassley express their concern over the administration’s decision to roll back the previous administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule and rumored plans to undercut the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

 

In the letter, Ernst and Grassley write, “ Policy changes in Washington also have a major impact on the livelihoods of our farmers. A recent announcement by the Biden Administration regarding its planned rewrite of the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS), as well as rumors about administrative action to reduce or eliminate renewable fuel blending targets for petroleum refiners, make me question this administration’s commitment to our agricultural producers.”

 

They go on to say, “ We respectfully ask that you make known to the President and your colleagues at the EPA and the Corps the serious concerns Iowa’s farmers and ranchers have with the Biden Administration’s recent actions on WOTUS and biofuels. We are fortunate to have a fellow Iowan at the helm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and are counting on you to advocate for Iowa and the interests of the state’s agriculture industry.”

 

For the full letter, click here.

 

Background:

Last week, Senator Ernst called the report that the Biden Administration planned to roll back the Navigable Waters Protection rule a “gut punch to Iowans.”

 

Earlier this year, Ernst led a Senate resolution that expresses the need for the U.S. Senate to stand with farmers, ranchers, and other important stakeholders by supporting the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule, which replaced the Obama-era WOTUS rule.

 

Senator Ernst also recently helped introduce bipartisan legislation to bring more transparency and predictability to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) small refinery exemption process.