2015 Waters of the United States Rule that conceivably places all waters under EPA jurisdiction
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on the Obama Administration’s land and water grabbing WOTUS rule, reviewed its impact on the American people and analyzed the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace this job-killing regulatory expansion.
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring testified, ” The 2015 Rule would have expanded federal authority to 85,604 linear miles in North Dakota…I am greatly concerned about the potential of the 2015 Waters of the United States Rule that conceivably places virtually every river, creek, stream, and vast amounts of adjacent lands under EPA jurisdiction. I remain troubled with the apparent attempt to infringe and encroach upon the individual sovereignty of the states. The most fundamental management practice in agriculture is effective water management – either to retain, conserve, or convey. An overly rigid one-size-fits-all federal intervention and regulatory oversight is not reasonable, not workable, and not appropriate.”
For years, Members of the Western Caucus have been leading the charge to repeal and replace WOTUS and have passed multiple bills and amendments in that regard.