WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined his Republican committee colleagues in questioning the basis for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to repeal and replace the 2020 Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule. 

“After the administration’s continued commitments to transparency, engagement, and communication with stakeholders and Congress on this issue, the lack of transparency surrounding the decision to abandon this legally defensible and environmentally sound rule is disheartening,” the senators wrote in a letter.

In early June the Biden administration announced the repeal of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define Waters of the United States (WOTUS). In January, Boozman and other senate Republicans introduced a resolution in support of upholding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. As a member of the EPW Committee, Boozman has advocated for water rules that provide certainty for agriculture producers and all landowners.