The Wotus Nightmare Continues

Straight Talk with Sam

Ronald Reagan once said, "A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth." I think the same could be said for this Waters of the United States (WOTUS) nightmare we find ourselves in.

Over a year ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Sackett v. EPA that the federal bureaucracy had trampled on the Constitution and overregulated American landowners. Even though the Court ruled that wetlands must have a "continuous surface connection" to be subject to federal regulation and directed the agencies to provide a clear and easy-to-understand definition of WOTUS, the rules today are as clear as mud.

This isn't by accident. The Biden-Harris Administration continues to subvert the Court's ruling and overregulate American farmers and families. They've refused to turn over guidance documents that tell bureaucrats how to implement the new WOTUS rule to landowners. Instead, they've sent heavily redacted versions, claiming the details are protected because they're "deliberative." Let's make something clear. There's nothing "deliberative" about documents that are being used today to determine if the EPA will send a farmer or home builder to jail or fine them $66,712 per violation, per day.

To put that in perspective, imagine you're at a community pool-a sign outside lists all the rules: no splashing, no running, no roughhousing. At the bottom, it says, "If you don't follow the rules, you'll be kicked out. "

In the case of WOTUS, all of the rules have been redacted; you can't read any of them. Then, at the bottom, it reads: "If you don't follow the rules, you can be thrown in jail and fined up to $66,712 per day for each time you broke one of the rules listed."

It's insane. The federal government isn't telling farmers, families, and landowners what the rules are, but if the EPA catches you breaking one of these secret rules, they can throw you in jail or fine you into bankruptcy for plowing a field or building a home.

This nonsense needs to end. The Supreme Court has ruled. It's time for the Biden-Harris Administration to quit playing games with peoples' lives and livelihoods and set some clear, constitutional rules, putting an end to this eternal WOTUS nightmare.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves