South Dakota Ag Connection - Bipartisan Group Calls for Respect of State, Tribal Water Rights

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Bipartisan Group Calls for Respect of State, Tribal Water Rights
South Dakota Ag Connection - 01/21/2020

North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, Monday issued the following statement after President Trump announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would withdraw its proposed water supply rule. This follows Hoeven and a bipartisan group of senators urging the administration in September to respect state and tribal authority over the water flows within their borders. The President made the announcement at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual trade show.

"We appreciate the President for heeding our call to withdraw this far overreaching regulation from the Army Corps," said Hoeven. "The water supply rule would have given the Corps control over the use of all waters surrounded by Corps property, ignoring historical precedent and the intentions of Congress. That's why we pressed the administration to roll back this proposal, consult states and tribes on this matter and work toward solutions that preserve their water rights."

The bipartisan letter also includes Kevin Cramer, M. Michael Rounds, John Thune, James E. Risch, Kyrsten Sinema, Dr. John Barrasso, Mike Crapo, Steve Daines, Ron Wyden, Michael B. Enzi, Ted Cruz, Martha McSally, James M. Inhofe, Cory Gardner, John Cornyn, Michael F. Bennet, James Landford and Jeffrey A. Merkley.

This action aligns with Hoeven's previous efforts to protect the water rights of North Dakota and other western states. To this end, the senator secured a provision in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation to prevent the Corps from charging fees for using water from the Missouri River reservoirs through 2026, similar to his States' Water Rights Act.

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