WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today applauded the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision to issue a nationwide stay on Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) misguided Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:
“The Sixth Circuit Court’s nationwide stay on the EPA’s misguided WOTUS rule is a victory for states’ rights, local governments, farmers, ranchers and landowners. This ruling pushes back on the extreme overreach of the Obama administration, which threatened Montana agriculture and natural resources, Montana jobs and Montanans’ property rights. While this is welcome news, it is not the end of the Obama administration’s egregious power grabs. I will continue to vigorously fight to protect Montanans from these overreaching WOTUS rules and out-of-touch Washington, D.C. regulations.”
On August 27, 2015 United States District Court Judge Ralph Erickson delayed implementation of the EPA’s expanded WOTUS rule for Montana and 12 other states until ongoing litigation, led in part by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, is fully decided.
Daines is a cosponsor of S. 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act that would direct the EPA and Corps to issue a revised WOTUS rule that protects traditional navigable water from water pollution, while also protecting farmers, ranchers and private landowners.
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