Members of the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee hosted a conference call Monday to discuss the impact of federal overreach on agriculture in the United States and back the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in calling for the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule to be withdrawn.

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain says regulation of resources is best done from the ground up. “Many of the laws passed by Congress, especially the Clean Water Act, specifically state that the primary jurisdiction is within the states themselves,” said Stain.

“The reality is, we’re being regulated to death,” said Doug Goehring, Commissioner of Agriculture for North Dakota, who offered the action item on WOTUS to the NASDA annual meeting last week. “When we have over 4500 new regulations that have come through different agencies on the federal level, you’ve got to wonder, what are they being designed for?”

Also speaking on behalf of RACC were Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, and South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

You can listen to the conference call here: Press call with Republican Ag Commissioners on WOTUS