It’s hard to imagine a resource as precious as water. It grows our crops, hydrates our bodies, and affects the climate. Perhaps no one knows the importance of water more than farmers and ranchers, and few are more invested in ensuring water is clean. But, the latest Waters of the U.S. Rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency fails to achieve the goal of protecting the nation’s waterways, creating instead complicated and overreaching regulations.

The Biden administration WOTUS rule is just the latest in a series of back-and-forth regulations from EPA, and farmers are caught in the middle. The Obama administration first rolled out WOTUS in 2015. The rule regulated just about every conceivable amount of water down to small pools and creeks that only form during a rainstorm. The rule was so flawed, West Virginia and more than half the states sued to block its implementation.

The Trump administration implemented a different rule, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which finally brought clarity and common-sense limitations to federal water jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration has returned us to broad, sweeping water regulations that, once again, threaten the progress made to responsibly manage natural resources. WOTUS doubles down on the “significant nexus” test, which regulates any source of water that could potentially touch a navigable water. This creates complicated regulations that will cause uncertainty on large areas of private farmland miles from the nearest navigable water. The rule could keep farmers from doing meaningful improvements to their land, including the cleaning of streams or upgrading drainage on their fields in fear of facing large civil fines or even criminal charges. Farmers and ranchers share the goal of protecting the nation’s waterways. They deserve rules that don’t require a team of attorneys and consultants to manage their land.

Once again, West Virginia is joining 24 other states suing to stop the implementation of the new WOTUS Rule. They recognize that the federal government should regulate navigable waters, and state and local agencies are capable of regulating other bodies of water.

Congress is also weighing the new rule. Nearly half of the U.S. Senate, led by West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, are challenging the new WOTUS Rule through the Congressional Review Act. Almost 150 representatives in the House also support a review of the rule.

To make matters worse, we may face yet another rewrite of the WOTUS Rule. We are waiting for the Supreme Court to issue a decision on the scope of the Clean Water Act. A ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case could send WOTUS back to the drawing board. Farmers across the country asked the Biden administration to hold off on the rule until there was a ruling in Sackett, but those concerns were ignored.

Farmers have a strong track record of caring for the resources they’ve been entrusted with. One hundred and forty million acres are enrolled in voluntary conservation programs. More than half of the corn, cotton, soybean and wheat planted in the U.S. are either no-till or low-till, which helps trap carbon in the ground and reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides. Terraces and buffer strips filter water and protect waterways from runoff.

Protecting the environment is top of mind for farmers. They demonstrate that commitment every day with innovation and climate-smart practices. They need partners to continue meeting those goals, not overreaching regulations that put those efforts at risk.

Charles Wilfong is president of the West Virginia Farm Bureau.