EPA Ends 2015 WOTUS Rule
Farm groups declared victory Thursday after the Trump administration formally ended the 2015 waters of the U.S. rule.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, announced Thursday the agencies would eliminate the controversial 2015 Clean Water Act rule drafted by the Obama administration. The 2015 rule greatly expanded EPA and Army Corps of Engineers regulatory oversight of streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands.
"Today, EPA and the Department of the Army finalized a rule to repeal the previous administration's overreach in the federal regulation of U.S. waters and recodify the longstanding and familiar regulatory text that previously existed," Wheeler said at an event hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers. "Today's Step 1 action fulfills a key promise of President Trump and sets the stage for Step 2 -- a new WOTUS definition that will provide greater regulatory certainty for farmers, landowners, home builders, and developers nationwide."
The move follows through on a campaign promise by President Donald Trump, who criticized the 2015 waters of the U.S. rule, known as WOTUS. Wheeler cited one of President Trump's earliest executive orders to peel back regulations on business as one of the key drivers for eliminating the rule.
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EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, announced Thursday the agencies would eliminate the controversial 2015 Clean Water Act rule drafted by the Obama administration. The 2015 rule greatly expanded EPA and Army Corps of Engineers regulatory oversight of streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands.
"Today, EPA and the Department of the Army finalized a rule to repeal the previous administration's overreach in the federal regulation of U.S. waters and recodify the longstanding and familiar regulatory text that previously existed," Wheeler said at an event hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers. "Today's Step 1 action fulfills a key promise of President Trump and sets the stage for Step 2 -- a new WOTUS definition that will provide greater regulatory certainty for farmers, landowners, home builders, and developers nationwide."
The move follows through on a campaign promise by President Donald Trump, who criticized the 2015 waters of the U.S. rule, known as WOTUS. Wheeler cited one of President Trump's earliest executive orders to peel back regulations on business as one of the key drivers for eliminating the rule.
Click Here to read more