R-CALF USA applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for raising concerns about Washington state agencies targeting cattle producers. In a letter to the Washington Department of Ecology and the Department of Natural Resources, EPA Regional Administrator Emma Pokon warned state officials that enforcement actions against cattle farmers must remain within appropriate jurisdictional bounds.
In the letter, the EPA acknowledged that stock-watering ponds are important and necessary to support livestock operations and cautioned that state actions appear to be impeding producers’ ability to earn a livelihood and contribute to the nation’s food supply.
The warning follows aggressive enforcement actions taken against the King Ranch in Washington state over the maintenance of long-established stock-watering ponds. In late 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture intervened when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins raised concerns about regulatory overreach and threatened to withhold federal funding. R-CALF USA has said the case reflects a broader pattern of regulatory abuse aimed at driving family ranches out of business.
“EPA’s warning reinforces the need for accountability when states administer federally overseen programs and sends a clear message that state agencies cannot stretch environmental authority beyond its limits to target private property and ranching families,” said R-CALF USA Property Rights Chair Shad Sullivan. “We must bring an end to regulatory lawfare that threatens private property rights, food security and the survival of independent producers.”
