DTN writer Todd Neeley reported this week that, “The Navigable Waters Protection Rule would be repealed and replaced with pre-2015 definitions of waters of the U.S. in a proposal released by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday.
“It is the first step in eventually replacing the Trump-era rule with a new rule sometime next year.
Read MoreThe EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to schedule virtual public hearings throughout August and into September as part of planned revisions to waters of the United States definitions.
Read MoreThe U.S. District Court in South Carolina dismissed a challenge to the Navigable Waters Protection Rule written during the Trump administration and granted a remand without vacatur, ensuring the rule remains in effect until the Biden administration finalizes a new rule. Agricultural groups are engaged in litigation across the country to defend the NWPR and are pleased with this key legal victory, yet recognize more work remains as the new administration forges ahead on making its own mark on regulating water.
Read MoreIn action Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army announced their intent to revise the definition of “waters of the United States,” claiming a broad array of stakeholders are seeing “destructive impacts to critical water bodies under the 2020 rule established under the Trump administration.”
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of its intention to reverse the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
“The American Farm Bureau Federation is extremely disappointed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of its intention to reverse the environmentally conscious Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which finally brought clarity and certainty to clean water efforts. Farmers and ranchers care about clean water and preserving the land, and they support the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
Read MoreIn a hearing in the House of Representatives, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said he doesn’t intend to go back to the Obama-era waters of the U.S. - WOTUS – rule and again made that claim before members of the Senate.
In a subsequent hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, Sen. Joni Ernst asked what farmers, landowners and manufacturers can expect to see from the Biden administration in a potential new WOTUS rule.
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