“We applaud the EPA and Army Corps for hitting the pause button while we search for added clarity and certainty for America’s farmers,” said Dennis Nuxoll in a statement released by the Western Growers, which represents local and regional farmers in multiple Western states. The Utah Farm Bureau pushed for the rule’s demise, and the […]
U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers finalized a rule that would delay the effective date of the 2015 Clean Water Rule. “Today, EPA is taking action to reduce confusion and provide certainty to America’s farmers and ranchers,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said. “The 2015 WOTUS rule developed by the Obama administration will not […]
Within the first 11 months, the Trump administration had canceled or delayed more than 1,500 planned regulatory actions. That is 22 for every new one proposed. Included is one that rolled back the over-reaching Waters of the U.S. rule, which would have let the federal government regulate everything from stock ponds and irrigation ditches to […]
The Trump administration has moved to finalize a delay of the Clean Water Rule before an appeals court can withdraw its stay of the 2015 regulation. U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers sent a final rule late last week to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. It would […]
One particular issue of concern he [Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX)] mentioned is over how the federal government defines “Waters of the United States” that fall under federal jurisdiction. Obama-era regulatory changes expanded the definition of Waters of the United States. So much so, Babin said, that any ditch with water in it or a mud […]
However, infrastructure isn’t the only thing hurting day-to-day business for farmers. Overregulation has continued to strap farmers and stifle innovation. Since taking office, President Trump has prioritized regulatory reform and stopped or delayed 1,500 regulatory actions. One of those regulations included the Waters of the United States rule, which threatened how farmers could choose to […]
Schimel has also been busy defending the state of Wisconsin from federal overreach against the Obama Administration’s regulations like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. WOTUS clarified what types of water bodies are applicable under the regulations of the Clean Water Act, so-called “navigable waters.” In 2015, a multi-state coalition, including Wisconsin, filed a […]
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed and remanded a rule the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rolled out in 2015 that asserts federal authority over small bodies of water with a broader definition of the statutory term, “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS). In a ruling for National Association of […]
The way the president and his Cabinet members have pumped the brakes on overreaching regulations alone is enough to show U.S. farmers and ranchers that some level of common sense has returned to how the federal government manages resources. The encyclopedic Waters of the U.S. rules were a perfect example of how regulation writers can […]
From tax reform to rolling back the Waters of the U.S. rule, or WOTUS, we are off to a good start on getting government off the backs of producers. In fact, for every new regulation added last year, 22 were eliminated or reset. WOTUS was one of the leading regulatory concerns for agriculture. When the […]