The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association praised the Trump administration for scaling back the types of waterways that qualify for protection from pollution.
NCBA President Jennifer Houston said President Trump and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler deserve a lot of credit for listening to needs the of cattle producers.
“This is the last regulatory step in a long-fought battle to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and replace it with common-sense regulation. The 2015 WOTUS rule was an illegal effort to assert control over private property - and we fought to have it repealed - but it also needs to be replaced, and today’s action is the last step in that process,” Houston said. ""NCBA relentlessly fought WOTUS on Capitol Hill, at the Agencies, and in the Courts. Today, we can rest a little easier knowing that some power has been put back in the hands of landowners.”
Under the new rules, farmers and ranchers will no longer need a federal permit to release water into streams that flow only after rain or snow melt or to wetlands that are not near protected waters.
“Our new rule recognizes this relationship and strikes the proper balance between Washington, D.C. and the states,” Wheeler said. “And it clearly details which waters are subject to federal control under the Clean Water Act and, importantly, which waters falls solely under the states’ jurisdiction.”