September 9, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

• Corn Growers Disappointed in EPA’s WOTUS Rule
• Additional WOTUS Webinars Announced Sept 13 and 20
• Citizen Advocate Webinar: The Virtual Advocacy Toolkit & Conducting Virtual Meetings with Congress
• NCGA’s Photo Contest Re-launches
• Colorado Water Center Courses at CSU - The South Platte River – Colorado’s Lifeblood
• Colorado Ag Water Summit - Registration Now Available

Corn Growers Disappointed in EPA’s WOTUS Rule

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) expressed disappointment with the revised Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that was issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers.

“U.S. corn growers are disappointed by EPA’s revised WOTUS rule,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “The agency failed to open the process to public comment and engagement, which would have been extremely valuable. Instead, the agency has released a rule that does not fully respect the holdings from the recent U.S. Supreme Court case on WOTUS. ” 

EPA released the revised rule after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Sackett v. EPA earlier this summer that narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction by, among other things, a unanimous decision that “significant nexus” was unlawful.

Additional WOTUS Webinars Announced Sept 13 and 20

On August 29, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army (“the agencies”) issued a final rule amending the 2023 definition of “waters of the United States” to conform with the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sackett v. EPA. The agencies also announced a public webinar providing an overview of the final rule on September 12, 2023, which swiftly reached registration capacity.   

This message is to announce the agencies will host two additional webinars on September 13 and September 20, 2023. Each webinar will present the same information, so please do not sign up for more than one webinar. When these webinars reach capacity, registration will be closed. However, the agencies post a recording of the webinar to EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/wotus. 

• Register for the September 13, 2023 (1pm-2pm Eastern) public webinar.
• Register for the September 20, 2023 (3pm-4pm Eastern) public webinar

Citizen Advocate Webinar: The Virtual Advocacy Toolkit & Conducting Virtual Meetings with Congress

Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping in touch with constituents is among the most important job aspects for Members of Congress. With most Members of Congress taking steps to observe social distancing protocols, congressional offices quickly adopted the use of virtual platforms to communicate with the people they represent. This presentation will highlight and provide tips for effectively using virtual advocacy strategies for engaging lawmakers including virtual meetings, emailing staff, social media, online and telephone town hall meetings, and more.

This program is based on exclusive and private surveys of congressional staff conducted by CMF and is available only to members of CMF's Partnership for a More Perfect Union. The webinar will be conducted by Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of CMF.

Date: September 26, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM MST

NCGA’s Photo Contest Re-launches

Fields-of-Corn.com, the official photo contest of the National Corn Growers Association (NGCA), relaunched on the first of September. Along with a new look built to showcase the rich history of visual storytelling comes a more robust interface for entry. The reboot comes just in time for the tenth photo contest.

“Fields-of-Corn.com site will house voting for the first time with higher reliability than we had through social media in the past,” said Graphic Communications Manager Beth Musgrove. “With a shared vision for a better experience for photographers, voters, and end-users, the developers assigned to the original 2014 contest were eager to return and take the site to a higher level.”

Open to all, NCGA invites photographers to help tell the story of farming field corn in America. Through this contest, NCGA seeks high-resolution photos to document the rich history of growing corn, captured from seed to harvest as well as the tenacious families that grow it. Entries will be accepted through the end of November and will be available to accumulate votes directly through the website, closing on December 31.

Photographers will be competing for 26 awards over eight categories. Visa gift card prizes range up to $500. Winners will be announced in January 2024.

Colorado Water Center Courses at CSU - The South Platte River – Colorado’s Lifeblood

Each fall the Colorado Water Center offers an interdisciplinary seminar series emphasizing issues important to the water resources community. Content relates to a preselected theme each semester and features prominent speakers from around the region.

Schedule: Tuesdays 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Virtual and in person at Natural Resources Building Room 109

Colorado Ag Water Summit - Registration Now Available

Join farmers, ranchers, and water managers around the state to discuss water issues impacting the agricultural community at the Colorado Ag Water Summit.

Date: November 29-30, 2023

Location: Larimer County Fairgrounds, Loveland, Co

Topics

• The Colorado River: Building a Statewide Ag Response
• Is WOTUS Dead?
• Drought Resilience Projects Around the State
• Taking Advantage of Federal Funding and Investing in Irrigation Infrastructure for The Future
• Colorado State University TAPS (Testing Ag Performance Solutions): Lessons from Year One
• Understanding Recent and Future Challenges to the Prior Appropriation System

More Information and registration is available on the website https://www.coagwater.org/summit

UPCOMING DEADLINES

• Margin Protection Insurance Plan – Sept. 30, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

• September 20 - CCPC Board Meeting
• September 30 - CSU Ag Day
• November 29-30 - Colorado Ag Water Summit