BOZEMAN, Montana – The Montana Farm Bureau was ecstatic to learn that the federal court ruling out of North Dakota stops the implementation of the overreaching Waters of the U.S. Rule in 24 states, including Montana.  The District Court out of North Dakota granted a preliminary injunction against the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency rule. MFBF expressed its thanks for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen for his role in filing a motion to the U.S. District Court to stop the detrimental WOTUS rule.

“EPA’s most recent attempt to define waters of the U.S., which are protected under the Clean Water Act, has caused immense uncertainty and confusion for America’s farmers and ranchers,” noted MFBF President Cyndi Johnson. “The Biden Administration’s WOTUS rule goes far beyond Congressional intent under the Clean Water Act by granting the EPA sweeping authority to regulate nearly every wetland, stream, tributary, pond and other body of water in the country.  

“Farm Bureau has been fighting different overreaching versions of this rule since 2015,” said Johnson.  “Farmers and ranchers all want clean water for themselves, their families, their communities and this country. The fact that this court understands the overreach of government in the WOTUS rule is refreshing. Let’s hope this version of WOTUS can be halted once and for all, and that the EPA can produce a rule that provides us the clean water we want, along with the clear rules we deserve.”

The 24 states impacted by today’s ruling are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Read today’s ruling here

 The first decision to halt the rule came from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on March 20, 2023. It stopped implementation of the rule in Texas and Idaho. 

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