WASHINGTON–President Trump signed an executive order today instructing the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to review the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. IER President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement:
“President Trump is doing a tremendous service for landowners across the country by instructing his administration to repeal of the Obama-era WOTUS regulation. The rule was never about protecting water. It was designed to expand the federal government’s reach into management decisions on state and private lands. Far from attacking clean water, today’s decision begins the process of returning power to states, local communities, and property owners.
“The previous administration’s redefinition of WOTUS, which was already more expansive than it should be, would give the federal government control over everything from small ponds to ditches—things far outside the scope of the Clean Water Act. Under this rule, many landowners would have been unjustly placed at the mercy of the federal government any time they wanted to utilize their own property, whether it be for farming, ranching, energy production, or just about anything else for that matter.
“By working to repeal this regulation, the Trump administration is taking a welcome first step in protecting property owners from unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, fines, and federal government intrusion.”
