Betsy Huber releases statement concerning President Trump’s actions related to “Waters of the United States”

National Grange President Betsy Huber said Tuesday:

“The Waters of the United States Rule has been the subject of great concern in rural communities and for those involved in agriculture since it was drafted. The expansion of the definition of ‘navigable water’ includes puddles, long-dried ditches and other land that collects rainwater but does not act as a waterway. This would bring nearly all of our farms to a halt as they attempted to comply with a rule that intrudes too far into property rights.

“In essence, the WOTUS rule was a veiled attempt to bring entire watersheds under federal land use control, whether the water there was impaired or not. We are happy the administration is taking a step back to allow for more vetting of the rule before potential implementation.”