EPA Moves to Re-do WOTUS Rule

To cheers from farmers and ranchers, EPA announced on Tuesday it is rescinding the Waters of the U.S. rule and recodifying the regulations that existed prior to 2015. The agency also said it will look carefully at the definition of waters of the United States and propose a new rule.

The 2015 WOTUS rule was never really about clean water, noted American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

It was a federal land grab designed to put a straightjacket on farming and private businesses across this nation. That’s why our federal courts blocked it from going into effect for the past two years.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall in a statement

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said EPA’s action was a significant step toward restoring power to the states and providing regulatory certainty to farmers and businesses.

"This is the first step in the two-step process to redefine 'waters of the U.S.' and we are committed to moving through this re-evaluation to quickly provide regulatory certainty, in a way that is thoughtful, transparent and collaborative with other agencies and the public,” Pruitt said.

Farm Bureau looks forward to supporting EPA’s new proposal, according to Duvall.

“EPA should ditch this rule once and for all, go back to the drawing board, and write a new rule that protects water quality without trampling the rights of businesses and the states.”