The American Soybean Association will take the coming days to review the revised Clean Water Rule, formerly known as Waters of the United States, issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency, and comment after ASA leaders digest the proposals contained in the rule. In making the announcement, ASA President and Texas farmer Wade Cowan reiterated the association’s request for an opportunity to comment on revisions to the rule, something not yet provided by EPA:

“As is the case with any expansive document, we need the time to determine the potential impacts of this rule for soybean operations in our 30 growing states before we decide how we want to respond. Our farmers and staff will analyze the rule and we will make a full statement once we’ve done so.

“It bears repeating, however, that we haven’t been given an opportunity to comment on EPA’s revision of the rule. We voiced strong opposition to the original version, and while we are encouraged by the agency’s willingness to revisit the rule and potentially address farmer concerns, we are very much in a ‘trust but verify’ mode. ASA needs to establish that the rule does not affect everyday soybean farming operations, and we are now in the process of making that determination. If we find that the rule does not live up to the promises made by EPA, we must have an opportunity to submit comments to the agency to that effect.”