By Brian Slodysko
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wanted to solve a water rights dispute in rural Kansas that pitted farmers against environmentalists and threatened the health of a cherished wildlife refuge.
The avid outdoorsman requested a $4.2 million earmark, records show, to help finance improvements that would increase the flow of water into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.
He did not mention another interest that stood to benefit from the project: his own Rattlesnake Ranch, which borders the preserve.
For decades, hunters have flocked to Quivira and its surroundings, drawn by hundreds of thousands of waterfowl that descend on the area every fall. As agriculture expanded in the area, however, the water supply was taxed to irrigate more crops, diminishing the flow into the refuge.
Marshall’s efforts in 2024 to secure the earmark sought to balance the needs of the refuge and farmers in his home state. But in doing so, he took action that experts said could boost his property’s value and posed a conflict of interest for the Republican senator. The measure also collided with Marshall’s strong opposition to earmarks, often called pork-barrel spending, to fund lawmakers’ pet projects. Marshall has voted four times to eliminate earmarks, calling such appropriations a waste of taxpayer money and “not American.”
Though Marshall’s request to help Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was added to a bill that did not ultimately become law, the funding was approved last year through spending legislation he supported.
Plan will ensure refuge gets more water to help birds
Under a federal plan, water will be pumped from a separate watershed, travel through a pipeline into Rattlesnake Creek, which is next to Marshall’s property, and flow into the refuge, records show.
The funding came through as Marshall was gearing up for a reelection bid this November that had once appeared assured. President Donald Trump carried Kansas by 16%, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
The race has tightened, so much so that Republican groups have poured millions of dollars into advertising to fend off Democrat Adam Hamilton, a former Republican who leads the nation’s largest United Methodist church.
