Updates from Washington

Acommitment to hard work, ingenuity, and perseverance are in the blood of ranchers across our state. It drives us. As a rancher myself, these same ideals shape my approach to advocating for the needs of every Idahoan in the U.S. Senate.

This session of Congress will undoubtedly pose challenges for those of us in the cattle industry, but there are also opportunities that should leave us hopeful. A few major projects I am focusing on this Congress include protecting local water rights, the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, and reining in federal government overreach. Between all of those issues and many others, Congress has substantial work to do on behalf of ranchers and Idahoans.

Defending local water and property rights is an issue I hold near and dear to my heart. Private water rights and states’ ability to regulate them has been recognized since the West was settled, and Idahoans have managed water longer than we’ve even been a state. Unfortunately, regardless of this substantial history of successful management, the federal government still attempts to intervene.

I am committed to protecting Idaho’s right to Idaho water and preventing burdensome federal overreach. With Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), I reintroduced the Water Rights Protection Act. This important legislation will protect local wa- ter laws by prohibiting the federal government from mandating water rights be transferred as a condition of any permit or use agreement.

This Congress, I am also continuing a fight that started during the Obama administration over water rights. I am firmly opposed to the Biden administration’s unfortunate – though unsurprising – decision to follow the Obama administration’s example in declaring its intent to regulate puddles and ditches as though they are lakes and rivers. We spent years untangling the red tape of the Obama-

BY JAMES RISCH U.S. Senator

This Congress is also an opportunity for cattlemen and women to engage with Congress on the Farm Bill—an updated authorization of USDA programs.

As ranchers, self-sufficiency is a priority and way of life, but any broad agricultural policy discussion could significantly alter our livelihoods, especially the Farm Bill, which is only reauthorized every 5 years.

Idahoans know land conservation and food production go hand in hand—in fact, they work best when working together. In agriculture, it is in our best interests to be good stewards of the land.

Grazing promotes prairie health and fire preparedness and has even been proven to improve habitat conditions for wildlife, like sage grouse.

Biden Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule, and now it appears we are once again in the same hot water.

I introduced a resolution with Senator Crapo and Shelley Moore Capito (RW. Va.) to overturn this egregious Biden WOTUS rule. While I hope our resolution succeeds, we are battling substantial headwinds from Senate Democrats.

The fight for your private property and water rights is still going strong, and I will continue to be an advocate for reasonable, common sense regulations that protect our way of life.

In agriculture and beyond, it is clear that those who actually work the land know how best to manage it. This sentiment is critical as we engage on the Farm Bill, and it is also essential to the work I do on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The Energy Committee has oversight over both the Department of Interior and the United States Forest Service, which means this committee can safeguard or harm the public lands in Idaho. As a member of this committee, I am committed to ensuring that grazing remains a central part of our public land management. This means ensuring that working acres of federal land remain in production and any other considerations—from species management to development—balance the benefits of grazing to the agricultural economy and good rangeland management. This balance is something I prioritize when considering nominees, questioning agency officials, or voting on legislation.

The Biden administration continues to create hurdles and obstacles that are difficult for ranchers and Idahoans alike, and I am pushing back hard on the administration’s federal overreach, burdensome regulations, and efforts to implement their green agenda. Farmers and ranchers bear the burden of these policies and have had to contend with higher input costs, decreased stability, unwieldly land management, and a loss of smaller family operations. Idahoans deserve less of this and more Western pragmatism.

I will continue to fight this coming year in Congress to bring more of Idaho’s diligence, resourcefulness, and responsibility to the lawmaking process. Ranching will always be part of Idaho’s culture, identity, and economy. With the partnership of ranchers like you, we can make progress in fighting bad policies and instituting better ones.

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