U.S. SENATE – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:
“This is a step in the wrong direction from the Biden administration and it infringes on the rights of Montana farmers, ranchers and landowners,” Daines said. “This overreaching rule threatens Montana ag and natural resources and is unacceptable. I will continue to vigorously fight to protect Montanans from out-of-touch rules handed down from D.C. bureaucrats.”
The EPA WOTUS rule defines which bodies of water are subject to federal jurisdiction under the 1970 Clean Water Act. The Obama administration rule was announced in 2015 and was written so broadly that everything from puddles to irrigation ditches on private land could be considered “Waters of the US,” and be subject to federal regulations. In today’s announcement, the EPA repealed the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), and changed the definition of “Waters of the US” in a way that will expand federal regulatory authority.
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Contact: Rachel Dumke, Blake Kernen