After SCOTUS Rejects EPA Overreach, Boozman Calls for Review of USDA Regulatory Actions

WASHINGTON— After the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory overreach in West Virginia v EPA, U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, is calling for a review of United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) regulations and rules related to the Supreme Court decision.

In a letter sent Tuesday to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Boozman requested information about the USDA’s rulemaking and its process to ensure the department is in compliance with the law.

“Although the decision concerned EPA, it will have significant implications for government-wide rulemaking efforts moving forward, including USDA,” Boozman wrote. “The Department has also announced initiatives to address climate change and promote climate-smart farming and forestry practices, which may also implicate the major questions doctrine. Considering the significance of these rules and initiatives, I request any information about any of USDA’s efforts to review current regulations, proposed rules, and other agency actions that may be affected by this recent Supreme Court decision.”

In December 2021, Boozman signed onto an amicus curiae brief filed at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the petitioners in West Virginia v EPA.