On Friday, the last day for comments on the proposed Waters of the United States rule, the American Soybean Association, the National Corn Growers Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation said the agencies should withdraw the rule.

American Soybean Association President Ray Gaesser said that soybean growers appreciate what the agencies are trying to do.

“Yet we believe that this rule creates new legal jeopardy for individual farmers, causes uncertainty where none existed, and produces substantial problems for agriculture that will not achieve benefits to our nation’s waters," Gaesser said. “Accordingly, we believe the rule should be withdrawn.”

Meanwhile, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition said its members, who are small, environmentally-minded farmers, believe that the agencies need to clearly define the terms involved but that a workable rule can be written.

“While the proposed rule is an important step toward providing the clarity that farmers and landowners need, in our view more must be done to clearly define terms and resolve the remaining confusion surrounding the rule and its implementation,” NSAC said in a news release.

“We disagree fundamentally with the notion that this rulemaking is a feud between agricultural and environmental interests, and believe that by continuing the rulemaking process and responding to stakeholder comments, the agencies can craft a workable rule that provides clarity to farmers while protecting our nation’s water resources.

“We have submitted detailed recommendations for additional definitional clarity with that goal in mind. We have also taken this opportunity to remind the agencies that we believe the interpretive rule that accompanied the proposed rule is badly flawed and needs significant modification.”

▪ American Soybean Association — Comments to EPA on Waters of the United States
▪ National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition — Comments on Waters of the United States