Greg Pence Applauds Trump Administration on New WOTUS Definition, Victory for American Farmers and Landowners

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Greg Pence (IN-06) today released a statement applauding the Trump Administration for its work to revise the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition. In a win for farmers and landowners, the Administration’s final rule ensures that ditches, ponds, and streams are no longer construed to be a ‘navigable’ body of water and subject to aggressive federal regulation.

“As I meet Hoosiers in my district, I hear devastating personal stories about their experiences with EPA’s power grab over their land. Buried in fees and swamped with calls about permits, surveys, and assessments, this strangling regulation almost cost a family in North Vernon everything,” said Congressman Pence. “I applaud President Trump’s commitment to refocus the EPA on its core mission of balancing the needs of businesses and working families and responsibly protecting the environment. I thank Administrator Wheeler for his work on rolling back the EPA’s job-killing mandates, unwarranted regulation, and overreach by the federal government on rural landowners in the Crossroads of America.”

“The Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance support the Trump Administration’s replacement rule for the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) regulation. The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) protects U.S. waterways while still offering a solution for farmers that does not create additional burdens. Indiana farmers are conservationists. The NWPR offers flexibility and clarity so farmers can implement new stewardship practices without the threat of government regulation,” said The Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Pence shares the effects that the Obama-era WOTUS rule had on a family from North Vernon, Indiana in a letter to Administrator Wheeler. Congressman Pence lauded the EPA’s continued work to protect the Hoosier environment and economy.

Read the full letter here.

###

Congressman Greg Pence represents Indiana’s 6th District. From Columbus, Indiana, Pence advocates for conservative Hoosier values as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee.