Protect The Harvest | House votes to nullify WOTUS rule

The U.S. House on Thursday passed a resolution to invalidate the Biden administration’s “Waters of the United States” rule, or WOTUS, through the Congressional Review Act.

R.J. 27 passed by a vote of 227-198 and requires further action in the Senate.

The legislation was sponsored by House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and by T&I Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer, R-N.C.

Agricultural groups have largely opposed the rule they contend would massively expand the federal government’s jurisdiction over waters not intended under the Clean Water Act and threaten land use.

American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and 16 other groups filed a lawsuit in January to prevent the rule from going into effect.

“We are pleased that the House agrees the proposed WOTUS rule is overreaching, difficult to understand and will make farming and ranching more difficult,” said Courtney Briggs, Farm Bureau senior director of government affairs.

“We thank House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves for his leadership on this issue, as well as the 170 co-sponsors of this resolution,” she said.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is thrilled to see a majority of House members reject the Biden administration’s burdensome rule, said Todd Wilkinson,