Today, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly praised President Trump's Executive Order on the misguided Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.
Donnelly, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said, "We all need and expect clean water, but the WOTUS rule was unworkable for many stakeholders, especially Hoosier farmers. It is my hope that the Environmental Protection Agency rewrites this rule to provide clarity for stakeholders and ensures clean water. I have been saying for years that in order to get this rule right, we need to engage all stakeholders, including farmers, businesses, local governments, and environmental groups in a collaborative effort."
Donnelly has been working on this issue for a number of years. In April 2015, Donnelly and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced bipartisan legislation to require a rewriting of the WOTUS rule. It was voted on in the Senate in November 2015 but fell three votes short of advancing. That legislation had the support of the Indiana Farm Bureau, Simon Property Group, Indiana Corn Growers Association, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Waters Advocacy Coalition, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and many other ag organizations.