The clean water act established the basic rules for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States and gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry. However, WOTUS significantly expanded the definition of navigable waters, to include everything from ditches, streams, wetlands and puddles. In […]
WNAX: SD Attorney General Marty Jackley Says AG’s Weighing in on WOTUS Rewrite
/in NEWS /by wpengineState Attorney’s General are weighing in on the Waters of the U.S. Rule, as EPA and the Corp of Engineers begins the process of rewriting the language. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt was one of the original AG’s that helped block WOTUS and so he’s hopeful that will result […]
QUAD-CITY TIMES: Guest view: Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst: We will never stop fighting to protect the RFS and Iowa
/in NEWS /by wpengineA big part of upholding the rule of law in any area is staying on top of actions from unelected agency leaders who have a lot of power to wreak havoc with regulations. The Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule from the Obama Administration is a prime example of a regulation that badly over-reached. After […]
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Republican senators urge EPA to swiftly repeal and replace Obama-era water rule
/in NEWS /by wpengineThe GOP letter was sent to EPA chief Scott Pruitt on the last day to submit public comment on the Trump administration’s proposal to scale back the rule, which President Trump ordered under one of his first executive orders as commander in chief. “The courts have been clear that a federal agency may not exceed […]
HOUSTON HERALD: Rep. Smith speaks to Texas County Farm Bureau
/in NEWS /by wpengine“Within the last year, I have had the honor of working with the Trump administration to repeal more than $36 billion dollars’ worth of Obama-era regulations,” said Smith. “One of our biggest successes was rescinding the Waters of the United States regulation, which sought to federally regulate every drop of water on Missouri farmers’ land.” […]
SCOTTSBLUFF STAR HERALD: Ag groups requesting comments to help kill WOTUS
/in NEWS /by wpengineThe clean water act established the basic rules for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States and gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry. However, WOTUS significantly expanded the definition of navigable waters, to include everything from ditches, streams, wetlands and puddles. In […]
THE JOURNAL RECORD: Opinion: Rep. Tom Cole: A return to regular order
/in NEWS /by wpengineEarlier this year, the House passed the first four appropriations bills to support our military construction projects, veterans, energy and water sectors and our active-duty service members. Included in this package of bills was full funding at the president’s request for veterans at $73.8 billion, the prohibited closure of Guantanamo Bay, a 2.4-percent pay increase […]
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Scott Pruitt vs. the legal maze to clean power and water
/in NEWS /by wpenginePruitt sounded the most confident when he talked about his WOTUS repeal effort. “What was wrong with the WOTUS rule of 2015 was it was what? An overreach. That’s not editorial comment. That’s what the 6th Circuit said,” Pruitt said. The court halted the definition of “waters of the U.S.” based on EPA’s broad interpretation […]
REASON: How Obama’s EPA Nearly Bankrupted John Duarte’s Farm
/in NEWS /by wpengineOne of Pruitt’s first targets is a controversial rule on water pollution put in place by the Obama administration that he deemed a “power grab” by environmental regulators. To better understand why property rights advocates applauded the move, consider the case of fourth-generation farmer John Duarte, who has fought a protracted and costly legal battle […]
INSIDE EPA: EPA Seeks Industries’ Views On Costs, ‘Certainty’ To Inform CWA Policy
/in NEWS /by wpengineEPA plans to ask representatives from major industrial sectors about key issues that will inform the agency’s upcoming Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction rule that is expected to significantly narrow the Obama-era CWA policy, including compliance costs and whether there is a lack of regulatory “clarity” on the law’s reach. The agency outlined its questions […]
THE DAILY CALLER: 78-Year-Old Man Imprisoned For Digging Ponds Without A Permit
/in NEWS /by wpengineA 78-year-old man imprisoned for digging two ponds in Montana, one on federal land and the other on private property, without a permit has appealed his sentence, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF). Oral arguments for Joseph Robertson’s appeal began Tuesday in the Ninth Circuit court. Robertson is serving an 18 month sentence in […]