Investing in Sound Infrastructure

October marks the middle of harvest season for crops like corn, soybeans, and sorghum here in Nebraska. This process, the culmination of many months of work, also highlights how we rely on infrastructure for irrigation, transportation, and bringing products to market. Infrastructure has a hand in just about everything we do, including making agriculture more efficient. By prioritizing rural infrastructure, we lay a foundation for national economic growth.

While there is much work to be done, I am grateful for the improvements made to federal regulatory policy by the Trump administration. In many cases this meant taking a look at existing regulations, determining which ones are harmful, and fixing or eliminating them. The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) is a perfect example. This arbitrary, misguided Obamaera regulation gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) power over virtually all water flows – even on private land. This regulation also directly contradicted the law; under the Clean Water Act non-navigable waters are regulated by the states. I led the effort in the House to fight WOTUS when it was forced on farmers, ranchers, and local communities by President Obama. I was grateful to see President Trump listen to ag producers and local officials when he reversed the WOTUS rule. However, there are still plenty more rules like WOTUS on the books which stand in the way of successful agriculture.

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