ICA Watching WOTUS Debate Very Closely

Like much of the farming community across the country, the Idaho Cattle Association is watching the ongoing WOTUS debate very closely. The Biden EPA has announced it will replace the Trump era Navigable Waters Protection Act, but it remains unclear if that means a return to the Obama Administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule. Cameron Mulrony says one of the biggest concerns the ICA has is what waters qualify as those the federal government will have jurisdiction over.

“If it’s based on the amount of water that comes through there, or time, or things like that, well we can get a flash-flood event that sends a lot of water down a gully and it really only has water in it for say 90 days, that’s a completely different situation than a very small trickle that last year round say in the Midwest and where that water can get to.”

Mulrony added the EPA is not considering the unique nature of the aired west and how creeks and small water ways work year-round. He said a return to WOTUS is very concerning.

“You know if we’re regulated on certain waters that only last a small portion of the year or don’t have a volume but do have a direct connection to a water that flows to the ocean, that could greatly impact the west, if that’s too far reaching and that’s our concern and the things that we’ve been watching throughout this process.”

Mulrony added they will continue to work with state leaders as well as those in D.C. to give Idaho cattle producers a voice in the ongoing conversation.

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