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AFBF says ruling will save time and money

The American Farm Bureau says the unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court this week will save farmers and ranchers time and money when it comes to jurisdictional determinations by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The court ruled landowners may challenge the federal government whenever the Corps tries to improperly regulate land with water protection regulations. It potentially streamlines the federal approval process for people and companies seeking to develop wetlands.

“They have that option to go to court and not spend years trying to get a permit. A permit they may never get or a permit they may never or a permit they may not be able to accept and then have to go to court at that later period of time. It speeds things up. They don’t have to wait years to find out whether their land is subject to Clean Water Act jurisdiction,” says Danielle Quist, Farm Bureau’s senior counsel for public policy.

Quist says it’s very telling that three justices wrote separate concurring opinions expressing concerns about the reach of the Clean Water Act, “So that should tell EPA and the Corps that there are some very serious problems and this court is very aware of them.”

There is speculation that the ruling might lead to a Supreme Court review of the administration’s Clean Water Act jurisdiction rule.