The Waters of the U.S. Rule was repealed by Trump administration.
The rule greatly expanded the EPA’s federal jurisdiction and scope of bodies of water subject to Clean Water Act requirements.
Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts says the action to repeal and replace the 2015 WOTUS rule will “alleviate regulatory burden” on farmers and ranchers.
The repeal reverts regulations to those in place before 2015, while the Trump administration works to craft a new rule.
The American Farm Bureau Federation called the repeal a victory for farmers and ranchers.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall says Farm Bureau will now “work to ensure a fair and reasonable substitute that protects our water and our ability to work and care for the land.”
Last month, a U.S. District Court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency must redraft the rule, stating the 2015 rule violated the Clean Water Act, and that the procedures for enacting the WOTUS rule were in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act.
