WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, are pressing their fellow Iowan, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on recent actions by the Biden administration that have the potential to harm Iowa’s agriculture industry. In a letter, the Iowa senators express concern over the Administration’s decisions to roll back the previous administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule and rumored plans to undercut the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
 
“Policy changes in Washington also have a major impact on the livelihoods of our farmers. A recent announcement by the Biden Administration regarding its planned rewrite of the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS), as well as rumors about administrative action to reduce or eliminate renewable fuel blending targets for petroleum refiners, make me question this administration’s commitment to our agricultural producers,” the senators wrote.
 
“We respectfully ask that you make known to the President and your colleagues at the EPA and the Corps the serious concerns Iowa’s farmers and ranchers have with the Biden Administration’s recent actions on WOTUS and biofuels. We are fortunate to have a fellow Iowan at the helm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and are counting on you to advocate for Iowa and the interests of the state’s agriculture industry.”
 
Yesterday, Grassley gave a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the devastating effects if the Biden administration rolls back the Navigable Waters Protection rule.
 
Earlier this year, Grassley joined Ernst on a Senate resolution that expressed the need for the U.S. Senate to stand with farmers, ranchers and other important stakeholders by supporting the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule, which replaced the Obama-era WOTUS rule.
 
Grassley also joined colleagues in introducing the bipartisan RFS Integrity Act of 2021 to bring more transparency and predictability to the EPA’s small refinery exemption process.
 

Full text of the letter can be found HERE.