Northern Ag's Russell Nemetz spoke with Senator Daines yesterday regarding the failed vote against the cloture motion.
The Montana Farm Bureau issued the following statement:
The Montana Farm Bureau is extremely disappointed that the Senate failed to pass S. 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act. Particularly frustrating is that Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), voted against the cloture motion, blocking the final vote on S 1140. The bill, if passed, would have sent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back to the drawing board on its broadly constructed and widely opposed Waters of the U.S. Rule.
“The EPA’s WOTUS rule is bad for all of Montana, especially those citizens who make their living farming and ranching or in other natural resource industries,” says MFBF National Affairs Director Nicole Rolf. “Today the Senate had a chance to help stop this overreaching rule but sadly, even one of our own senators, Senator Tester, voted against the motion that would have let the bill proceed. Our farmer and rancher members have been vocal about their opposition to the rule, so we are disappointed to see the senator vote against them today.”
Rolf praised Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) for his co-sponsorship of S. 1140. “We thank Senator Daines for his support of S. 1140, his vote for cloture on the bill, and all of the work he has done to stop the overzealous EPA from implementing their WOTUS rule. Senator Daines is not a farmer or rancher, but he understands overregulation is the death knell of any business, especially a business like farming or ranching. The WOTUS rule grossly expands the EPA’s jurisdiction over waters and even land, subjecting farmers and ranchers to new and unnecessary federal regulation. We certainly appreciate that he voted in support of protecting Montana’s farmers and ranchers.”
Later on Tuesday, the Senate approved a motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 22, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of “waters of the United States” under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. MFBF will be monitoring the vote and requests support from both senators.
Source: Montana Farm Bureau Federation
