Senator Roger Marshall Requests $4.2 Million Earmark for Kansas Refuge
Senator Roger Marshall requested $4.2 million to increase water flow into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, sparking conflict-of-interest allegations regarding his own ranch.
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall requested a $4.2 million earmark to increase water flow into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas. The funding, approved through spending legislation last year, supports a plan to pump water from a separate watershed into Rattlesnake Creek, which borders the senator's own Rattlesnake Ranch.
Critics, including the watchdog group Public Citizen and various water rights experts, argue the project creates a conflict of interest. They claim that a steadier water supply for waterfowl would increase local land values, thereby benefiting the senator's property. Marshall's office denies these claims, stating the ranch would not benefit from the project.
The request also marks a reversal of Marshall's public stance against earmarks, which he previously described as not American. The project aims to resolve a long-standing dispute between local farmers and environmentalists after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to mandate water levels for the preserve in 2023.
