The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of the Army is announcing a final rule establishing a new definition of waters of the United States. The agencies decision on December 30th expands protections that were in place prior to the 2015 Clean Water Act and would now include upstream water resources that affect those waters.

The agencies say the action will strengthen fundamental protections for waters that are sources of drinking water while supporting agriculture, local economies, and downstream communities.

Kansas Representative Ron Estes disagrees, saying the EPA’s WOTUS rule increases bureaucratic control over private land that includes virtually any waters, including many areas that only temporarily hold water.

The upcoming Supreme Court Case, Sackett v. EPA, is supposed to be heard this spring. Many opposed to the new rule wanted the EPA to wait until that case is determined as it will test the action’s constitutionality. However the agencies went ahead with implementation.

Estes says Kansas farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of their land, but the final WOTUS rule hands over private property decisions to Washington bureaucrats and that it disregards the common sense conservation techniques employed by the men and women who actually work the land.