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.
asserted
that → want → 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.
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that → request → Refuge
He did not mention another interest that stood to benefit from the project: his own Rattlesnake Ranch, which borders the preserve.
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which → mention → 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.
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that → flock → area
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.
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efforts → expand → 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.
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experts → do → senator
The measure also collided with Marshall’s strong opposition to earmarks, often called pork-barrel spending, to fund lawmakers’ pet projects.
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measure → collide → projects
Marshall has voted four times to eliminate earmarks, calling such appropriations a waste of taxpayer money and “not American.”
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Marshall → vote → money
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.
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he → help → legislation
Plan will ensure refuge gets more water to help birds
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refuge → ensure → 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.
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records → pump → refuge
The funding came through as Marshall was gearing up for a reelection bid this November that had once appeared assured.
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that → come → bid
President Donald Trump carried Kansas by 16%, and the state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
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state → carry → 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.
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who → tighten → church
Marshall’s office declined to make the senator available to The Associated Press for an interview and did not respond to detailed questions about his property.
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senator → decline → property
“All the water for this project would go into Quivira Wildlife Refuge,” spokeswoman Payton Fuller said in a brief statement.
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Fuller → go → statement
“Rattlesnake Ranch would not benefit from it.”
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Ranch → benefit → it
She added that the project would “literally save farms” and “supply water to the refuge in drought years.”
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project → add → years
Watchdog group says Marshall’s earmark was a conflict of interest
A water rights expert and a government watchdog group have criticized the senator’s decision to seek the earmark as a conflict of interest.
Burke Griggs, a former state water rights attorney, said waterfowl hunting is “big business” in Kansas and the federal funding will help “establish a steadier water supply than (the Quivira Refuge) has had since the 1970s.”
“That will increase the value of the land,” said Griggs, a law professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, who has donated money to Democrats.
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who → say → Democrats
“Think about it: If Quivira doesn’t have water, we don’t have as many ducks and waterfowl staying in that area for hunting season.
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ducks → think → season
That would absolutely diminish the value of the property.”
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That → diminish → property
Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks greater government accountability, said Marshall “should not be involved in any legislative effort that provides a direct or substantial financial benefit to himself.
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that → seek → himself
He should have recused himself.”
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He → recuse → himself
Holman noted that Senate rules ban members from seeking earmarks in which the “principal purpose” is to further their own financial interests.
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purpose → note → interests
In this case, Holman said, he did not believe the earmark violated the rule because the project would also benefit the refuge and farmers.
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project → say → refuge
Marshall’s efforts to secure the earmark represent a departure from a long-held stance.
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efforts → secure → stance
He had railed against such appropriations, said his colleagues should have to defend their earmark requests on the Senate floor and described a Democrat-sponsored spending bill as “full of so much pork” it was “dripping with grease.”
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it → rail → grease
“I’m going to do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks,” he told reporters in 2021.
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he → go → 2021
Though he sought an earmark in 2024, he voted in January to strip such funding from a spending bill.
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he → seek → bill
Marshall has deep ties to the Quivira Refuge area
Marshall and his family have deep ties to the region around the preserve.
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Marshall → have → preserve
He at one point owned, or co-owned, more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) near the Quivira Refuge and has described his land as a hunting “mecca.”
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He → own → mecca
The properties have provided a stream of income over the years through building rentals and oil and gas leases, according to his Senate financial disclosures.
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properties → provide → disclosures
After his election to the Senate, Marshall substantially reduced his land holdings near the refuge, the records show.
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records → reduce → refuge
What remains is Rattlesnake Ranch, which is registered as a business in Kansas and listed as a commercial property with a building available for rent, according to records.
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which → remain → records
Marshall owns a 20% stake in the ranch and serves as a company director, the records show.
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records → own → director
Fuller, the Marshall spokeswoman, said the Rattlesnake Ranch is not used for hunting waterfowl.
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Ranch → say → waterfowl
She did not address a question about the nature of the business or the commercial use of the land, which Marshall co-owns, records show, with a group of hunting buddies and campaign donors.
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records → address → buddies
Marshall, who was elected to the Senate in 2020 after two House terms, posts photos online of game he has killed.
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he → elect → game
Regional news stories have highlighted the senator’s preservation efforts in the area and his hunting of sandhill cranes near the preserve.
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stories → highlight → preserve
“I hunt as often as I can,” he told Lone Star Outdoor News, according to an article posted to his Senate website in 2022.
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he → hunt → 2022
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
