To require the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers to use a certain definition for the term prior converted cropland, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · November 30, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The Farmers Freedom Act of 2023 directs the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to adopt a specific definition of "prior converted cropland" when determining which wetlands and water bodies fall under federal regulation. Prior converted cropland refers to wetlands that were converted to farmland in the past and may now be reverting to wetland conditions. The bill requires the agencies to use the definition from the Trump administration's 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which had a narrower scope of federal jurisdiction over waters. This legislation would effectively limit federal regulatory authority over certain farmlands and wetlands, reducing environmental compliance requirements for farmers. The bill was introduced by Senator Mike Rounds and nine other Republican senators in November 2023 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
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