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.