Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves is accusing the Biden Administration of placing new regulations on water use that contradicts a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Graves, a Republican, said the president is refusing to follow the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Waters of the United States rule.
“They are ignoring the Supreme Court,” Graves said. “The administration needs to listen to what the Supreme Court said when it comes to WOTUS (Waters of the United States rule). And WOTUS, what they’re proposing is…it’s a taking. You know, you’re taking the use of that property from individuals.”
Graves told Missourinet affiliate KFEQ in St. Joseph that the administration needs to fall in line with the ruling that the federal government can only regulate wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” to a body of water, such as a river or lake. He also said how the Environmental Protection Agency responds will have real consequences for individuals.
“You hear all of this talk too about how, well, WOTUS exempts farmers out. That is simply not the case, because we’re seeing farmers being cited all over the country and fined all over the country,” Graves said. “It’s based on a subjective – many subjective – definitions of various aspects of Waters of the U.S.”
He notes that WOTUS has been a controversial issue ever since the Obama Administration first proposed it.
“The Trump administration reversed many of the things that the Obama administration did, and then what happened was the Biden administration came right back along and then reversed many of the things that the Trump administration did,” he said.
Graves claims the EPA has not only refused to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision but has refused to release documents related to the re-writing of WOTUS.
Democrats in Congress have been defending the rule, saying the high court has eliminated an important tool for cleaning up America’s waterways.
Brent Martin of KFEQ St. Joseph contributed this story.
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