Gardner Votes to Protect Water for Colorado Farmers and Ranchers

Press Release

Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following statement after voting in support of overriding President Obama's veto of S.J.Res.22, which would have overturned the so-called Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:

"A bipartisan majority of the Senate came together to reject WOTUS, an attempt to massively expand the federal government's role in the management of local water. Instead of seizing an opportunity to meaningfully reduce the scope of burdensome regulations squeezing our economy, President Obama vetoed our resolution. Today, I was proud to cast a vote to support overturning that veto.

"WOTUS has already been put on hold by the courts for a simple reason: it represents a massive, unconstitutional takeover of ponds, streams, and ditches which will be burdensome and costly for our nation's farmers and ranchers. The responsibility for managing Colorado's water should be left to state and local governments along with our water districts, not with the federal government through overreaching regulations like WOTUS. I will continue to forcefully oppose WOTUS and take any steps possible to block its implementation."

Senator Gardner has been a consistent opponent of the WOTUS rule. He denounced the final WOTUS Rule upon its unveiling last May and applauded the decision by Federal Judge Ralph Erickson to halt the rule's implementation in 13 states. In September, he signed on as a co-sponsor of the resolution of disapproval authored by Senator Ernst (R-IA) which would later pass the Senate.

When the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals halted implementation of WOTUS nationwide in October, Gardner called it "a victory for agriculture, rural communities, and all Coloradans." In November, he voted in favor of the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, which would have forced the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to re-write the WOTUS rule with much stronger state and agricultural protections as well as more input from local communities.

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