“In Montana Whiskey is for Drinkin’, Water is for Fightin’”
To watch Daines’ remarks, click HERE.
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today delivered the following remarks at the weekly Republican Senate Leadership press conference praising the Supreme Court’s decision that rightfully puts landowners back in charge of their own land. Last week, the Supreme Court unanimously sided with private property owners Michael and Chantell Sackett in Sackett vs. the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and narrowed the scope of the federal government’s regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act.
“Understandably, there’s been a lot of talk about the debt ceiling negotiations and the battle going on here on Capitol Hill. But it’s important not to overlook a very important Supreme Court decision that was issued last week. For far too long the Democrats have relied on the courts and bureaucratic agencies to accomplish what they can’t get done through the legislative process. Well, some of those days are now over.
“Last week’s ruling on the Waters of the U.S. is one more example of bringing some common sense back to our government to rein in much of the big government overreach we see from Washington, D.C. In the Sackett versus EPA case, the Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed private landowner rights and cracked down on the overreach in the Waters of the U.S. regulation.
“In Montana, and in many states out West, we say that whiskey is for drinkin’ but water is for fightin’. This WOTUS rule expanded federal regulatory power over waterways that even included dry ditches and dried up ponds. This allowed the heavy hand of the federal government to take away the land rights of Montana farmers and Montana ranchers, Montana families. The Supreme Court decision rightfully put landowners back in charge.
“This is a big win. It didn’t get a lot of coverage, as it probably should have last week when the Senate wasn’t in session, but many of you may have enjoyed a nice lunch today. You can thank a rancher, you can thank a farmer, you can thank the fact they’ve got water available to make sure they can grow their crops and grow their livestock. Our nation no longer has to worry with these out-of-touch bureaucrats that probably can’t find Montana on a map, making decisions about Montanans’ lands for them.”