WOTUS

Chris Banks is a land owner, rancher and owns Conservation Basics, a consulting business that advises farmers and ranchers about soil and water conservation. I asked him a poignant question. "Being in the water conservation business, what is your take on WOTUS? I am one who believes that WOTUS is a complete overreach of power by the EPA. I believe that farmers and ranchers need to be able to have the say as to what those drainages are. There are established drainages and waterways on every farm. We see them and know where they are. But some of those new rules that they are wanting to impose on land owners, I really believe it could put us out of business. Just the interpretation of some of those rules. Somebody might read it one way but somebody else might read it another way. The thought of somebody reading it the other way and then imposing those rules make it so that we have to have permits to build fences along streams or permits to even farm in certain areas that we have farmed all of our lives just because of the way the water runs off of our fields. It is really a scary thing. I believe President-elect Trump might be able to get a team together to work through that and make it a little bit more manageable for people if he doesn't completely do away with it. I think there needs to be rules and regulations. I get it. I think we need to protect water quality."