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To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exclude prior converted cropland from the definition of ``navigable waters'', and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exclude prior converted cropland from the definition of "navigable waters," which determines federal regulatory authority. Prior converted cropland is defined as land that was drained or manipulated before December 23, 1985, to enable agricultural production, including land designated as such by the Department of Agriculture. The bill provides a broad definition of "agricultural purpose" that includes grazing, conservation uses, wildlife management, water storage, and idling land for soil recovery after natural disasters. It prohibits the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from applying a "change in use" policy to prior converted cropland under their recent Waters of the United States regulation. The bill excludes abandoned prior converted cropland that has reverted to wetlands from the exemption.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD)
6 cosponsors
- Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY)
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA)
- Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND] (R-ND)
- Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA)
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS)
- Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (R-SD)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Mike Rounds’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT $30,350
- NULL $26,450
- APOLLO $19,250
- ROCKET MORTGAGE $15,700
- APOLLO MGMT. $13,200
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Mike Rounds → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Feb 27, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. · senate
- Feb 27, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2025
Mr. Rounds (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Thune, Mr. Hoeven, and Mr. Marshall) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
A BILL
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exclude prior converted cropland from the definition of “navigable waters”, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Farmers Freedom Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. PRIOR CONVERTED CROPLAND.
(a) In General.—Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
“(7) Navigable waters.—
“(A) In general.—The term ‘navigable waters’ means the waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.
“(B) Exclusion.—The term ‘navigable waters’ does not include prior converted cropland.
“(C) Associated definitions.—For purposes of this paragraph:
“(i) Abandoned.—The term ‘abandoned’, with respect to an area that was prior converted cropland, means that the area was not used for, or in support of, agricultural purposes at least once in the immediately preceding 5-year period, as determined by the Administrator.
“(ii) Agricultural purpose.—The term ‘agricultural purpose’ includes land use that makes the production of an agricultural product possible, including—
“(I) grazing and haying;
“(II) idling land for conservation use, such as habitat management, pollinator and wildlife management, water storage and supply management, and flood management;
“(III) irrigation tailwater storage;
“(IV) farm-raised fish production;
“(V) cranberry bogs;
“(VI) nutrient retention; and
“(VII) idling land for soil recovery after natural disasters such as hurricanes and drought.
“(iii) Prior converted cropland.—
“(I) In general.—The term ‘prior converted cropland’ means any area that, prior to December 23, 1985, was drained or otherwise manipulated for the purpose, or having the effect, of making production of an agricultural product possible, including such areas that are designated as prior converted cropland by the Secretary of Agriculture.
“(II) Exclusion.—The term ‘prior converted cropland’ does not include an area that is abandoned and has reverted to wetlands.
“(iv) Wetlands.—The term ‘wetlands’ means an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, including swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.”.
(b) Prohibition on Change in Use Policy.—In carrying out the amendments made by this section, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, may not, with respect to prior converted cropland, carry out the change in use policy described in the final rule of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers entitled “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States”’ (88 Fed. Reg. 3004 (January 18, 2023)) or a substantially similar policy. <all>
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